abduct

[ ab-duhkt ]

verb (used with object)

1. to carry off or lead away (a person) illegally and in secret or by force, especially to kidnap.
2. Physiology. to move or draw away from the axis of the body or limb ( adduct ).

abduct

/ æbˈdʌkt /

verb

1. to remove (a person) by force or cunning; kidnap
2. (of certain muscles) to pull (a leg, arm, etc) away from the median axis of the body Compare adduct

Derived Forms

• abˈductor, noun

Other Words From

• unab·ducted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of abduct¹

1825–35; < Latin abductus, past participle of abdūcere to abduce

Word History and Origins

Origin of abduct¹

C19: from the past participle of Latin abdūcere to lead away

Example Sentences

The 400-page fantasy novel Billy and the Epic Escape, which was published earlier this year, features an Aboriginal girl with mystical powers living in foster care who is abducted from her home in central Australia.

From BBC

Their concerns come after masked men abducted at gunpoint four Turkish refugees in the capital, Nairobi, last month - the latest in a series of such cases in the East African state.

From BBC

They called on the incoming minister Katz to “express an explicit commitment to the end of the war and to carry out a comprehensive deal for the immediate return of all the abductees”.

From BBC

The Palestine Action Group said it had "abducted" the busts to mark Balfour Declaration of 2 November, 1917, in which British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour supported establishing a "national home for Jewish people".

From BBC

Among his convictions: abducting a woman in her car at knifepoint in 1976, for which he served five years, and kidnapping a woman at gunpoint from her home in 1984, for which he served eight.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• kidnap
• seize
• snatch