abduction

noun

ab·​duc·​tion ab-ˈdək-shən 

əb-

1

: the action of abducting : the condition of being abducted

2

archaic : the unlawful carrying away of a woman for marriage or sexual intercourse

Synonyms

• hijacking
• highjacking
• kidnapping
• kidnaping
• rape
• snatch [slang]

Examples of abduction in a Sentence

discredited reports of abductions by aliens

Recent Examples on the Web

Authorities investigated the case for six years and later determined that Sherri had fabricated the abduction and had been hiding out at her ex-boyfriend James Reyes' apartment in Costa Mesa, Calif. —Caroline Blair, People.com, 26 May 2025

The name for this comes from the 2006 Adam Walsh Child Safety Act, enacted to prevent child abductions. —Duncan Madden, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025

The other senators are immediately abuzz, and Mothma has to be smuggled out of the spherical senate chamber to avoid abduction by a turncoat. —Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 21 May 2025

Because the actual abductions likely occurred in the trees, they were not captured on camera. —Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 19 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin abdūctiōn-, abdūctiō "withdrawal, removal, allurement," from Latin abdūcere "to lead away" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns — more at abduct

First Known Use

1632, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for abduction

• adduction
• conduction
• construction
• deduction
• destruction
• eduction
• induction
• instruction
• obstruction
• production
• reduction
• seduction

Legal Definition

abduction

noun

ab·​duc·​tion ab-ˈdək-shən, əb- 

1

a

: the action of abducting

abduction of a robbery victim

b

: the tort or felony of abducting a person

2

: the unlawful carrying away of a wife or female child or ward for the purpose of marriage or sexual intercourse

Note: Sense 2 has its roots in common law. As statutorily defined, mainly in the nineteenth century, abduction was generally stated to include taking away or detention of a woman under a certain age, usually 16 or 18, with or without her consent or knowledge of her age.