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

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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

Reed’s own bleak history—undercover in late-’80s East Berlin —will lead to her abduction, and season-long pursuit by Helen and Sam.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

A startlingly of-the-moment work about Russia’s abduction of children during the war in Ukraine, co-commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera, had its premiere in Warsaw last week.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

She joined the San Joaquin County district attorney’s office in 2007, eventually working in the domestic violence and child abduction units.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

When Batty appeared on BBC Breakfast to discuss his abduction, he revealed he was one of 981,000 people aged 16 to 24 not in education, employment or training.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

My brother was evaporating before my eyes, and I had to find a way of stopping this dreadful abduction.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly

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Related Words

• kidnapping
• rape
• seizure
• theft

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