Definition of kidnapnext
as in to abduct
to carry away (as a person) forcibly or unlawfully the child of the wealthy industrialist was kidnapped and held for ransom

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of kidnap Prosecutors say Atlanta rapper Gucci Mane was lured to a Dallas studio, then allegedly kidnapped and robbed at gunpoint by a group that included Pooh Shiesty and Big30. Sergio Candido, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026 The security warning comes just days after an American journalist, Shelley Kittleson, was kidnapped in Baghdad. Npr Staff, NPR, 2 Apr. 2026 Security video verified by ABC News and confirmed by Iraq's interior ministry captured the moment Kittleson was kidnapped while standing on a sidewalk. Desiree Adib, ABC News, 2 Apr. 2026 Surveillance footage that was obtained by the Associated Press shows what seems to be the moment the journalist was kidnapped in Baghdad. Qassim Abdul-Zahra, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for kidnap
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kidnap
abduct
Verb
  • In 1976, Badinter joined the defense team of Patrick Henry, a sales representative who abducted a seven-year-old boy from school and smothered him to death.
    Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Over the next few months, other women were also abducted from Washington state and Oregon.
    ABC News, ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Kidnap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kidnap. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.

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