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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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for September 21–September 27, 2024
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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
It is not clear when Emily's attempted kidnap was first linked to Victoria's case.
From BBC ● Feb. 6, 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
And then to the friars: "You wicked wizards, you won't be able to kidnap that lovely princess and her lovely ladies in waiting!"
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
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
After his abduction, the Lebanese radio broadcast claims, Waite was kidnaped on suspicion of being an American spy.
From Time Magazine Archive
But when two West Germans were kidnaped in Beirut a few days after Hamadei's arrest, the government began temporizing.
From Time Magazine Archive
"When the Duke avowed himself to be kidnaped, he committed an error so grave that it can hardly be—overestimated."
From The Lighted Match by Schabelitz, R. F.
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
In the fifth episode, Tom is kidnapped by the criminal Robbie Prendergast, played by the brilliant Tom Pelphrey.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
The mood stood in stark contrast to their first court appearance, when Maduro gave a speech lasting several minutes claiming he had been kidnapped and was innocent.
From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2026
Jessa had planned to take Melo home herself, but Mel threatened to call the cops and say she’d been kidnapped if Jessa didn’t drop her at her car.
From "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone
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
Press and government frenzy over hostages during the Carter and Reagan administrations probably encouraged kidnaping.
From Time Magazine Archive
Until the kidnaping, Aquino had ignored the Muslim separatist problem in Mindanao.
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
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
The U.S. case against a Mexican governor is entwined with the mysterious kidnapping of Sinaloa cartel kingpin Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
The government has intensified actions to curb kidnapping, including introducing measures aimed at discouraging ransom payments.
From BBC ● May 31, 2026
Sometimes, though, the birds recruit new helpers by kidnapping other groups’ young.
From Slate ● May 10, 2026
Despite his friendship with Washington, the senator was not about to be party to the kidnapping of a woman, who by this time had a baby.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
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.
