kidnap
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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kidnapeenoun
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kidnapernoun
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kidnappeenoun
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kidnappernoun
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kidnappingnoun
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unkidnapedadjective
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unkidnappedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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kidnapsimple
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kidnapssimple
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have kidnapedperfect
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have kidnappedperfect
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has kidnapedperfect
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has kidnappedperfect
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am kidnapingprogressive
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am kidnappingprogressive
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are kidnapingprogressive
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are kidnappingprogressive
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is kidnapingprogressive
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is kidnappingprogressive
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have been kidnapingperfect progressive
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have been kidnappingperfect progressive
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has been kidnapingperfect progressive
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has been kidnappingperfect progressive
Past
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kidnapedsimple
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kidnappedsimple
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had kidnapedperfect
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had kidnappedperfect
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was kidnapingprogressive
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was kidnappingprogressive
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were kidnapingprogressive
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were kidnappingprogressive
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had been kidnapingperfect progressive
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had been kidnappingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of kidnap
Explanation
To kidnap is to steal a person, or to hold someone as a prisoner until a ransom is paid. The original meaning of kidnap, dating from the late seventeenth century, was "steal children to provide servants to the American colonies," from kid, "child," and nap, "snatch away." After the particularly notorious Lindberg baby kidnapping in 1932, the U.S. Congress passed a law allowing the FBI to investigate all kidnappings. Today the word kidnap includes all abductions, of both children and adults.
Vocabulary lists containing kidnap
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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.
See Examples For:
"I thought they were going to kidnap us. I ran to a taco stand to take cover with the people there," Medina told AFP.
From Barron's ● Feb. 22, 2026
At the same time, bald eagles were rumored to sometimes kidnap human babies and fly away with them in their talons.
From Slate ● Feb. 21, 2026
Wright's legal team had argued that there was insufficient evidence of an attempted kidnap, but a judge ruled against them.
From BBC ● Feb. 4, 2026
They immediately kidnap our 17-year-old daughter for a night of dancing, making sure to accompany her back to camp.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2025
He confessed that he participated in Booth’s earlier scheme to kidnap the president, but he denied involvement in, or knowledge of, the assassination plot.
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
When a Frenchman kidnaps a woman from the rival town, his mother and her fellow villagers react with outrage and indignation, less at the abduction itself than at his apparent interest in a German woman.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 14, 2026
The Ramayana depicts the victory of Hindu god Ram over the demon king Ravana after the latter kidnaps his wife, Sita.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2023
“This case shows that the Justice Department will be relentless in our efforts to track down anyone who kidnaps a U.S. citizen abroad,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement.
From New York Times ● May 10, 2022
“This case shows that the Justice Department will be relentless in our efforts to track down anyone who kidnaps a U.S. citizen abroad,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
From Seattle Times ● May 10, 2022
Sarah and Jack and the clover elves are just about to celebrate their victory over the troll army when an ogre kidnaps Jack and sweeps him off to the hobgoblin king’s castle.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office identified the remains as that of Sharon Lee Gallegos, who was reported kidnaped on July 21, 1960, thanks to advanced DNA technology.
From Fox News ● Mar. 16, 2022
The multi-state search for her and the five-year search for who reportedly kidnaped her diverted resources from other cases, Shasta County Sheriff Michael Johnson said.
From Fox News ● Mar. 8, 2022
When Duarte struck a deal with the rebels for the release of his kidnaped daughter in October 1985, his relations with some top officers suffered.
From Time Magazine Archive
In Britain intelligence officials believe they have identified the man holding Terry Waite, the Anglican envoy kidnaped 20 months ago while trying to negotiate the release of other hostages.
From Time Magazine Archive
"But whatever it means, it gives no explanation of why Tony and Shannon were kidnaped."
From The Pirates of Shan by Goodwin, Harold L. (Harold Leland)
Following an ex-secret agent who is kidnapped by an unknown persecutor, Patrick McGoohan’s 1967 series creates a surreal atmosphere of surveillance that remains relevant today.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
This time around, Enola’s impending wedding is interrupted when she learns Sherlock’s been kidnapped and needs rescuing.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
The most common backstory is that Adora was kidnapped by Hordak as an infant and raised on the planet Etheria as a member of his Evil Horde.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
Iraq's powerful Kataeb Hezbollah armed group announced that it would release US journalist Shelly Kittleson, a week after she was kidnapped in Baghdad.
From Barron's ● Apr. 7, 2026
GINNY: Harry, he was kidnapped by a powerful Dark witch, how can that be your fault?
From "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" by J.K. Rowling
Pankey’s attorney, Anthony Viorst, countered that prosecutors’ circumstantial evidence, Pankey’s overbearing personality and his obsession with “true crime” mysteries is not enough to convict him of kidnaping and murder.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 13, 2021
The Foleys also said some responsibility lies with American members of the media who failed to continue reporting on Foley's kidnaping, letting it fall out of the news cycle.
From US News ● Feb. 26, 2015
Until the kidnaping, Aquino had ignored the Muslim separatist problem in Mindanao.
From Time Magazine Archive
The U.S. has also resorted to kidnaping of a sort, most famously during the 1985 midair interception of the Achille Lauro hijackers by fighter planes.
From Time Magazine Archive
He had never been quite sure about Major de Coverley, either, who, when he was not away renting apartments or kidnaping foreign laborers, had nothing more pressing to do than pitch horseshoes.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
For many of the countries involved, the State Department has issued travel advisories recommending that Americans do not travel to them, citing the danger of kidnapping, crime, terrorism and civil unrest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
Last year, her ex-husband lodged a complaint with the police accusing her of kidnapping their daughters, in the latest development of their bitter custody dispute.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
"What they used to say is that under the law it's classified as kidnapping but it isn't kidnapping because she's my mum," he said.
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
The court filings make no mention of Zambada’s kidnapping, and Nunez Ojeda’s attorney did not respond to a question about his client’s alleged role in the affair.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 10, 2026
Was it kidnapping if it was an adult?
From "Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures" by Kate DiCamillo
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.
