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kidnap

[ kid-nap ]
/ ˈkɪd næp /
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See synonyms for: kidnap / kidnapped / kidnapping / kidnapper on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object), kid·napped or kid·naped, kid·nap·ping or kid·nap·ing.
to steal, carry off, or abduct by force or fraud, especially for use as a hostage or to extract ransom.

OTHER WORDS FOR kidnap

seize, bear off, bear away.
See synonyms for kidnap on Thesaurus.com
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Origin of kidnap

1675–85; kid1 + nap, variant of nab

OTHER WORDS FROM kidnap

kid·nap·pee, kid·nap·ee, nounkid·nap·per, kid·nap·er, nounun·kid·naped, adjectiveun·kid·napped, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH kidnap

hijack, kidnap , shanghai, skyjack
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to kidnap

capture, hijack, seize, snatch, steal, coax, decoy, entice, grab, impress, inveigh, lure, pirate, remove, seduce, shanghai, skyjack, waylay, bundle off, carry away

How to use kidnap in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for kidnap

kidnap
/ (ˈkɪdnæp) /
verb -naps, -napping or -napped or US -naps, -naping or -naped
(tr) to carry off and hold (a person), usually for ransom

Derived forms of kidnap

kidnapper or US kidnaper, nounkidnapping or US kidnaping, noun

Word Origin for kidnap

C17: kid 1 + obsolete nap to steal; see nab
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
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