abduct
Americanverb (used with object)
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to carry off or lead away (a person) illegally and in secret or by force, especially to kidnap.
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Physiology. to move or draw away from the axis of the body or limb (adduct ).
verb
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to remove (a person) by force or cunning; kidnap
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(of certain muscles) to pull (a leg, arm, etc) away from the median axis of the body Compare adduct
Other Word Forms
- abductor noun
- unabducted adjective
Etymology
Origin of abduct
1825–35; < Latin abductus, past participle of abdūcere to abduce
Compare meaning
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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.
US television presenter Savannah Guthrie and her family have appealed to the public to continue to help search for their missing mother, who police believe was abducted seven weeks ago.
From BBC
Now the actors, who work as game masters and perform as distressed abductees at the venue, will be frightening their guests while under union protection.
From Los Angeles Times
Fighting back tears, the NBC host said in an Instagram video that they are "aching" for Nancy Guthrie, who is suspected to have been abducted from her home in Tucson, Arizona.
From BBC
There has been no suggestion from officials that Guthrie was abducted by narco-traffickers.
From BBC
Pak Jun Do abducts civilians from Japan, spies on radio broadcasts as a surveillance officer and even steals the identity of a government minister, all while struggling to avoid the prison mines.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
