abduction

¹ American  

[ab-duhk-shuhn] / æbˈdʌk ʃən /

noun

1. act of abducting.

2. the state of being abducted.

3. Law. the illegal carrying or enticing away of a person, especially by interfering with a relationship, such as the taking of a child from their parent.

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abduction ² American  

[ab-duhk-shuhn] / æbˈdʌk ʃən /

noun

Logic.

1. a syllogism whose major premise is certain but whose minor premise is probable.

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abduction British  

/ æbˈdʌkʃən /

noun

1. the act of taking someone away by force or cunning; kidnapping

2. the action of certain muscles in pulling a leg, arm, etc away from the median axis of the body

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Etymology

Origin of abduction¹

First recorded in 1620–30; abduct + -ion

Origin of abduction²

First recorded in 1690–1700, abduction is from the New Latin word abductiōn- (stem of abductiō; translation of Greek apagōgḗ ). See abduct, -ion

Explanation

If you're the victim of an abduction, you've been carried away against your will — kidnapped. The word comes from Latin ab "away" + ducere "lead." Abduction is also when you move your arm or leg away from your midline. "The Abduction from the Seraglio" is the English title of a famous Mozart opera, in which a nobleman tries to rescue his betrothed, who has been captured — abducted — by pirates and sold into a pasha's harem, or seraglio. At the end of the opera, the pasha is overwhelmed with mercy and frees everyone and sends them home. So there really isn’t an abduction from the seraglio; the pasha lets everybody go.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

abduction

The journalist's eyewitness account of the abduction became a crucial lead in the investigation.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

His lawyers have previously said they would make arguments about the legality of his abduction and his immunity as a head of state.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Mr. Morgan, whose inspiration seems clear enough—Robert De Niro’s Johnny Boy—is terrific as the half-crazy, wildly impulsive Mickey, whose abduction by the Italians occupies much of the early going.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

Behind the controversy about the book are lingering questions about Zambada’s 2024 abduction in Mexico and his arrival and subsequent arrest outside El Paso.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026

Eighteenth-century English and French scientists rejected the ample testimony as to the reality of meteorites, as we reject stories of alien abduction.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• kidnapping
• rape
• seizure
• theft