DEFINITIONS

abduct

[ ab-duhkt ]
/ æbˈdʌkt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR abduct ON THESAURUS.COM

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 (opposed to adduct).

Content related to abduct

Who Is The Amber In AMBER Alert?The term “AMBER Alert” has become synonymous with stories of missing children. So who is Amber? And why is her name blasted out to cellphones and on highway signs every time police need our help locating a child in danger? What is an AMBER Alert? First, the basics. In the suspected kidnapping of a child, an AMBER Alert is issued. This urgent bulletin is voluntarily …
READ MORE
Why is Easter Island Named “Easter”?The instantly recognizable statues on Easter Island (887 of them), called moai, have perplexed and fascinated explorers, experts and average folks since the Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen came across it in 1722. And Mr. Roggeveen is the reason it’s called Easter Island. He and his crew dropped anchor on Easter Sunday. The current inhabitants of Isla de Pascua (Spanish for “Easter Island”) call it Rapa Nui, a …
READ MORE

Words related to abduct

snatch, kidnap, seize, grab, shanghai, remove, sneeze, dognap

Words nearby abduct

abducens, abducens nerve, abducens oculi, abducent, abducent nerve, abduct, abductee, abduction, abductor, abductor muscle of big toe, abductor muscle of little finger

Origin of abduct

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

OTHER WORDS FROM abduct

un·ab·duct·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for abduct

British Dictionary definitions for abduct

abduct
/ (æbˈdʌkt) /

verb (tr)

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 bodyCompare adduct

Derived forms of abduct

abductor, noun

Word Origin for abduct

C19: from the past participle of Latin abdūcere to lead away
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

Medicine definitions for abduct

abduct
[ ăb-dŭkt′ ]

v.

To draw away from the midline of the body or from an adjacent part or limb.

Other words from abduct

ab•duc′tion n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.