as in kidnappings
the unlawful or forcible carrying away of a person or animal
discredited reports of abductions by aliens
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Recent Examples of abductions
The number comes from a 1999 Department of Justice report that used surveys to estimate missing children cases nationwide under broad definitions, including everything from abductions to runaways to brief scares where a kid gets lost for a couple of hours.
—
Stephen Johnson, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
The abductions started a little over a decade ago.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2026
This has occurred while the ground operation of incursions, checkpoints, village raids, and civilian abductions has continued at the same pace, the research said.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
Viv Ansanm is a gang coalition that controls most of Port-au-Prince and the abductions took place near downtown Port-au-Prince.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
Detectives quickly suspected that Prizzon was behind the abductions.
—CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
To prevent that, after months of masked ICE immigration raids and abductions, the state’s Democrats are relying even more than usual on their base of Latinos and Black Americans to come out at the polls.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 18 Mar. 2026
The comedy lies in the unwavering sincerity with which every ridiculous twist is treated, from one-night stands with a cuy fighter and multiple fires to violent abductions and a heartbroken lover riding her motorcycle off a cliff.
—Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2026
The statistics later proved to be exaggerated, Renfro said, but the concerns remained, bolstered by a series of disturbing, high-profile abductions, including the Hollywood abduction and murder of 6-year-old Adam Walsh that thrust his father John Walsh into the spotlight.
—Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2026
Stephen Johnson, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
The abductions started a little over a decade ago.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2026
This has occurred while the ground operation of incursions, checkpoints, village raids, and civilian abductions has continued at the same pace, the research said.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
Viv Ansanm is a gang coalition that controls most of Port-au-Prince and the abductions took place near downtown Port-au-Prince.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
Detectives quickly suspected that Prizzon was behind the abductions.
—CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
To prevent that, after months of masked ICE immigration raids and abductions, the state’s Democrats are relying even more than usual on their base of Latinos and Black Americans to come out at the polls.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 18 Mar. 2026
The comedy lies in the unwavering sincerity with which every ridiculous twist is treated, from one-night stands with a cuy fighter and multiple fires to violent abductions and a heartbroken lover riding her motorcycle off a cliff.
—Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2026
The statistics later proved to be exaggerated, Renfro said, but the concerns remained, bolstered by a series of disturbing, high-profile abductions, including the Hollywood abduction and murder of 6-year-old Adam Walsh that thrust his father John Walsh into the spotlight.
—Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abductions
Noun
-
In the '30s, when the Lindbergh baby was abducted, kidnappings and ransoms were so common that high-profile people often secured kidnapping insurance.—
Kase Wickman,
Vanity Fair,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The cold case was broken in 2024 when DNA from genetic genealogy connected Gale to the rapes.—
Neal Riley,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Harms was convicted of the 2011 and 2019 rapes in Sacramento Superior Court in 2022.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abductions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abductions. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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