kidnap

verb

ˈkid-ˌnap How to pronounce kidnap (audio)
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 More than 50 others were kidnapped, including women and children. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026 Hairstylist Aldo Signoretti was kidnapped and released for a $300 ransom. — Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2026 Affleck plays a Los Angeles mayoral candidate who is thrown into a tailspin when his son is kidnapped. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 9 Oct. 2026 But the North previously reacted with fury to major defections of its citizens, accusing South Korea of kidnapping them. — ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for kidnap
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kidnap
abduct
Verb
  • Last month, Israel agreed to release five civilians detained by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon in exchange for Lebanon's help in searching for the bodies of Lebanese Jewish leaders abducted and killed in the 1980s, during Lebanon’s civil war.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Two children, who police say were abducted by the father in Inkster on Wednesday, have been found in Norfolk, Ohio.
    — DeJanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of abduct

Browse Nearby Words

kid-gloved
kidnap
kidnapped
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Cite this Entry

“Kidnap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kidnap. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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