KIDNAPPING Synonyms: 30 Similar and Opposite Words

kidnapping 1 of 2

noun

variants also kidnaping

as in abduction

the unlawful or forcible carrying away of a person or animal an alert system for the prompt reporting of juvenile kidnappings

Synonyms & Similar Words

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kidnapping

2 of 2

verb

variants also kidnaping

present participle of kidnap

as in abducting

to carry away (as a person) forcibly or unlawfully the child of the wealthy industrialist was kidnapped and held for ransom

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of kidnapping

Noun

Chilean authorities have charged Rafael Enrique Gámez Salas, the alleged leader of Los Piratas, the main branch of Tren de Aragua in Chile, with kidnapping, extortion and criminal association, among other offenses. — ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026 Former Palm Beach County Clerk of Courts Mike Caruso, who is facing allegations of kidnapping and molesting a child, will be freed from jail and can have contact with children, an Orlando judge ruled Friday. — Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026 The serial killer drama sees retired detective Pete Willis (Robert De Niro) investigate the kidnapping of his grandson Jake (Acston Luca Porto) while trying to reconnect with his estranged son Tom (Adam Scott). — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Aug. 2026 Officers arrested a suspect in connection with an armed kidnapping Tuesday in Oakland, police said. — Jason Green, Mercury News, 27 Aug. 2026 Arnold is facing kidnapping and armed robbery charges that carry a potential life sentence. — Jonathan Jones, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 Reginald Riddle and David Griffith were charged in connection with murder, kidnapping and armed robbery. — Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 24 Aug. 2026 There's crime, there's terrorism, there's no healthcare access, there's kidnapping. — CBS News, 23 Aug. 2026

Verb

Tomlin, Fonda and Parton played a trio of secretaries who took revenge on their sexist boss by kidnapping him and enacting changes in the workplace in his name. — Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026 Its multiversal premise, which involves a man kidnapping a version of himself from another world, can be hard to wrap your head around, and as the first season went on, things only got harder to follow. — Andrew Webster, The Verge, 28 Aug. 2026 One of those holding out hope is kidnapping survivor Elizabeth Smart, who was abducted from her home at age 14 in 2002 and rescued nine months later. — Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 24 Aug. 2026 Host Kara Robinson Chamberlain, a true crime influencer, kidnapping survivor and former law enforcement officer, investigated the disappearance that sparked widespread attention and stirred up social media. — Curran Rastogi, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026 Lakesha Shanta Brown is accused of kidnapping 4-year-old Zola Cooper and her 11-month-old sister, Norah Cooper. — Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 19 Aug. 2026 Sink emerges as Jean Grey, a powerful telepath who uses mind control to attack the organization responsible for kidnapping her sister. — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Aug. 2026 Both are charged with two counts of kidnapping a federal employee. — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 3 Aug. 2026 After kidnapping Sam, Borden rows away from shore and raises a shotgun to his chin. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 22 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for kidnapping

Noun

While individual kidnappings in Haiti are commonplace, mass abductions are more unusual.

— Evens Sanon, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
Last week, dozens of people were kidnapped from a mosque in a spate of abductions at several villages in Nigeria's north-central Niger state.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of abduction

Verb

Clinton retaliates by abducting Terrance and Phillip and threatening to execute them, signaling his intent to invade Canada.

— Damon Wise, Deadline, 13 Aug. 2026
Working off a few vague details, Bret begins to imagine a link between Robert and a serial killer known as the Trawler, who has been abducting and torturing young women around Los Angeles.

— Leo Lasdun, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of abducting

Noun

The raid underscores gangs’ push to seize strategic mountain corridors around upscale Pétion-Ville, even as armed groups now control most of Port-au-Prince and nationwide killings, rapes and kidnappings surge.

— Pierre-Richard Luxama, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
In cases of rape and murder, the punishment is life imprisonment.

— Arshad R. Zargar, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of rape

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kidnappers

kidnapping

kidnappings

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“Kidnapping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kidnapping. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of kidnapping

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

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