abduct

American  

[ab-duhkt] / æbˈdʌkt /

verb (used with object)

• abducts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• abducted,
  past participle,  past
• abducting
  present participle

1. to carry off or lead away (a person) illegally and in secret or by force, especially to kidnap.

2. Physiology. to move or draw away from the axis of the body or limb (opposed to adduct).

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abduct British  

/ æbˈdʌkt /

verb

1. to remove (a person) by force or cunning; kidnap

2. (of certain muscles) to pull (a leg, arm, etc) away from the median axis of the body Compare adduct

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• abductor
  noun
• unabducted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• abducting
  present
• abducted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• abduct
  simple
• abducts
  simple
• have abducted
  perfect
• has abducted
  perfect
• am abducting
  progressive
• are abducting
  progressive
• is abducting
  progressive
• have been abducting
  perfect progressive
• has been abducting
  perfect progressive

Past

• abducted
  simple
• had abducted
  perfect
• was abducting
  progressive
• were abducting
  progressive
• had been abducting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will abduct
  simple
• will have abducted
  perfect
• will be abducting
  progressive
• will have been abducting
  perfect progressive

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

Explanation

To abduct someone is to commit the crime of kidnapping person and holding them for ransom. Being abducted is one of the worst things that can happen to you. Fortunately, it's very rare. To abduct is to kidnap — to take someone against their will and imprison them. After an abduction, the abductors (kidnappers) may send a ransom note, asking for money.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

abduct abducts abducted abducting

Chris Pine shows off his surprising fluency in Italian in this film about a pesky tween who convinces an aimless young woman to abduct her.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

And hey, did you know that the word “raptor”—which is often used to describe birds of prey—comes from the Latin verb rapio, which means to plunder, rob, ravish, or abduct?

From Slate ● Feb. 21, 2026

The Pet Abduction Bill, brought forward by Conservative MP Anna Firth, will make it a specific offence to abduct a pet in England and Northern Ireland.

From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2024

The first attempt to abduct Dot, for example, closely mirrors the sequence in the Coens’ “Fargo” where Jean Lundegaard has her morning routine disrupted by intruders, though Dot proves far more capable of defending herself.

From New York Times ● Dec. 5, 2023

If I die before deciding whether to press the button, will the sluggers abduct someone else and force them to choose, or will they let the world end?

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson

She climbs on his back, whereupon the deceitful Zeus abducts her, bearing her westward across the waters toward Crete.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Stree 2, a horror-comedy about a mysterious woman battling a monster who abducts free-thinking women, was the year's second-biggest hit, playing in cinemas for months.

From BBC ● Dec. 28, 2024

When the witch returns on that date and abducts Nevena — having rendered her mute in infancy — the young woman embarks on an astonishing, shape-shifting journey of death and discovery.

From New York Times ● Mar. 31, 2022

The fierce warrior Achilles leads Greek forces in the Trojan War, ignited when Paris abducts Helen of Troy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 3, 2020

This muscle flexes and abducts the humerus, and also rotates it outwards.

From Artistic Anatomy of Animals by ?douard Cuyer

In fact, scores of American citizens have been abducted off the street and detained.

From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026

And we set out to retrace the steps of investigators from the moment they arrived at Nancy’s adobe-brick ranch where she was abducted on Feb. 1.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

Besigye, who has run for president against long-serving leader Yoweri Museveni four times, was dramatically abducted in Kenya in 2024 and taken back to Uganda.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

He was abducted in neighbouring Kenya in 2024 and reappeared in Uganda, where he was brought before a military tribunal until the case was transferred to a civilian court.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

Someone even suggests that Sandy was abducted by aliens that swooped down and stole him away into the stars.

From "King and the Dragonflies" by Kacen Callender

However security is handled, there will be no ICE officers surveying the crowd with facial-recognition software and abducting people for unstated reasons.

From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026

We’ve all seen the appalling videos of masked agents ambushing and abducting these migrants in the halls of New York’s immigration court as they’re leaving a hearing.

From Slate ● Mar. 27, 2026

Brueckner then travelled to Braunschweig, where he tried to confront the prosecutors who accuse him of abducting Maddie, but was turned away, the report said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2025

Last year, the laws were once again thrown in into the spotlight when Japanese table tennis star Ai Fukuhara was accused by her ex-husband of abducting their son.

From BBC ● May 17, 2024

Karpoi grain spirits—those horrible little piranha Cupids—were rushing through the tall grass abducting campers at random, pulling them away from the line.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• kidnap
• seize
• snatch