Synonyms

abduct

American

[ab-duhkt] / æbˈdʌkt /

verb (used with object)

to carry off or lead away (a person) illegally and in secret or by force, especially to kidnap.
Physiology. to move or draw away from the axis of the body or limb (adduct ).

abduct British

/ æbˈdʌkt /

verb

to remove (a person) by force or cunning; kidnap
(of certain muscles) to pull (a leg, arm, etc) away from the median axis of the body Compare adduct

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

abductor noun
unabducted adjective

Etymology

Origin of abduct

1825–35; < Latin abductus, past participle of abdūcere to abduce

Compare meaning

How does abduct compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

abduct vs. adduct

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Another clip claimed to show the abducted senior official from Nushki district.

From Barron's

Bovino’s men encountered a Spanish-speaking man who claimed to be an American citizen; his father had abducted him as a two-year-old and taken him to Mexico.

From The Wall Street Journal

Police in northern Nigeria say reports that worshippers were abducted on Sunday from churches in Kaduna state were false.

From BBC

Overnight, Wine's party said that he had been abducted from his home in the capital, Kampala - a claim denied by the police.

From BBC

She pointed to declarations from U.S. citizens who believed they were being abducted by criminals when confronted by masked immigration agents, including incidents where local police were called to respond.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023