KIDNAPPING Synonyms: 30 Similar and Opposite Words

kidnapping 1 of 2

noun

variants also kidnaping

as in abduction

the unlawful or forcible carrying away of a person or animal an alert system for the prompt reporting of juvenile kidnappings

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kidnapping

2 of 2

verb

variants also kidnaping

present participle of kidnap

as in abducting

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 kidnapping

Noun

In 2011, Assad’s authorities were blamed for the kidnapping of senior Baath Party official Shibli al-Aysami from the Lebanese mountain town of Aley. — ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026 Devorise Carl Johnson, 21, now faces several charges, including first-degree murder and kidnapping with a weapon or firearm, according to an arrest form. — Cbs Miami Team, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026 Both were also sentenced to a maximum of more than eight years for the kidnapping charge and a maximum of about seven and a half years for concealment of death. — Charlotte Observer, 13 Oct. 2026 Danny brought a 360-degree camera into ‘Ink,’ and used it for certain sequences, including the pivotal kidnapping of Muriel Mackay. — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026 For the last three, Corinealdi’s character, Jax, has maneuvered through family and marital stress, thrived against office politics and betrayals, endured a kidnapping, and nearly faced death before pulling through a coma after a near-fatal shooting. — Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 12 Oct. 2026 Haslett was initially charged with first-degree rape, first-degree kidnapping and second-degree assault in October 2022 in Clay County Circuit Court. — Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2026 Sandler stars as a downtrodden deli worker who steps up to protect his fellow Salem residents from a Halloween-night kidnapping spree. — Sara Netzley, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Oct. 2026 The next year Williams was charged in the Southern District of Iowa for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution in the kidnapping case. — Breaking News, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026

Verb

Determined to win her back, Ralph devises a crazy plan involving kidnapping the former child star of his favorite Christmas movie. — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026 In the eighteen-seventies, after thieves began kidnapping bank managers, James Sargent invented the first commercially successful time lock. — Shayla Love, New Yorker, 10 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 Another section describes the government’s response to protests in 2014, when the government says Maduro discussed kidnapping military officers suspected of disloyalty and using torture to force them to reveal information about potential plots. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026 The Federal Bureau of Investigation is increasing the reward for an Atlanta man accused of kidnapping a driver at gunpoint on Interstate 20. — Dan Raby, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026 Jacob Fatu tried to get his family to simmer down and wait for the right moment to strike, but for him, kidnapping Sikoa was the last straw. — Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026 Five people have been indicted for allegedly kidnapping a man at gunpoint in Hartford earlier this year and holding him ransom. — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 15 Sep. 2026 About a half-million people were reported missing last year in the United States, including those who may have left voluntarily, missing minors, kidnapping victims and others, according to the FBI’s Crime Information Center. — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for kidnapping

Noun

Once investigators began digging into Evonitz’s past, Chamberlain’s abduction proved to be only part of the story.

— Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
The Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office said an arrest has been made in connection with the abduction of a man from a North Miami apartment who was later found dead this month.

— CBS Miami Team, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of abduction

Verb

North Korea hasn't publicly commented on the transfer but has previously claimed major defections of its citizens were the result of South Korea abducting them or luring them to flee.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026
Merritt had previously been convicted of abducting the children in violation of a court order, according to the Canadian Press.

— Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of abducting

Noun

Russ has a solid roster of people from different stretches of Tyson’s life, from childhood friends to gym partners to follow boxers to family members to several of the women who didn’t divorce him or accuse him of rape.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2026
Soon thereafter, she is diagnosed with dementia and learns that her grandson has committed serial rape.

— E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of rape

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kidnapping

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“Kidnapping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kidnapping. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of kidnapping

noun

verb

Example Sentences

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