Synonyms

kidnap

American

[kid-nap] / ˈkɪd næp /

verb (used with object)

kidnapped, kidnaped, kidnapping, kidnaping

to steal, carry off, or abduct by force or fraud, especially for use as a hostage or to extract ransom.

Synonyms:

seize

kidnap British

/ ˈkɪdnæp /

verb

(tr) to carry off and hold (a person), usually for ransom

"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

Other Word Forms

kidnapee noun
kidnaper noun
kidnappee noun
kidnapper noun
kidnapping noun
unkidnaped adjective
unkidnapped adjective

Etymology

Origin of kidnap

1675–85; kid ¹ + nap, variant of nab

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.

The latest data from Acled, an independent global conflict monitor, shows a considerable increase in the kidnapping of foreigners in Mali and Niger in 2025, compared to previous years.

From BBC

Authorities have urged any witnesses who saw anything near the golf course on 14 February - the day after the kidnapping - to contact police.

From BBC

And despite more than 20,000 tips, the investigation appears to be cooling and the paths to solving the Feb. 1 kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie could be narrowing.

From Los Angeles Times

The 1974 political kidnapping of newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst was front-page news for a year and a half — her abduction, then her announcement that she was joining her captors, then her discovery, arrest, and prosecution.

From Los Angeles Times

But police insisted she left for Mexico of her own accord and was not kidnapped.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023