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petnapping

American  
[pet-nap-ing] / ˈpɛtˌnæp ɪŋ /
Or petnaping

noun

  1. the stealing of a pet, as for resale or ransom.

Other Word Forms

  • petnaper noun
  • petnapper noun

Etymology

Origin of petnapping

An Americanism dating back to 1965–70; pet 1 + -nap + -ing 1

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.

It would have been nice to know if the dog was stolen because he was a service animal or if this was merely a petnapping.

From New York Times

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.