KIDNAP

kidnap, nobble, abduct, snatch

(verb) take away to an undisclosed location against their will and usually in order to extract a ransom; “The industrialist’s son was kidnapped”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Verb

kidnap (third-person singular simple present kidnaps, present participle kidnaping or kidnapping, simple past and past participle kidnaped or kidnapped)

(transitive) To seize and detain a person unlawfully; sometimes for ransom.

Noun

kidnap (countable and uncountable, plural kidnaps)

The crime, or an instance, of kidnapping.

Anagrams

• ink pad, ink-pad, inkpad

Source: Wiktionary


Kid"nap`, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Kidnaped or Kidnapped; p. pr. & vb. n. Kidnaping or Kidnapping.] Etym: [Kid a child + Prov. E. nap to seize, to grasp. Cf. Knab, Knap, Nab.]

Definition: To take (any one) by force or fear, and against one's will, with intent to carry to another place. Abbott. You may reason or expostulate with the parents, but never attempt to kidnap their children, and to make proselytes of them. Whately.

Note: Originally used only of stealing children, but now extended in application to any human being, involuntarily abducted.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

28 May 2025

AIR

(noun) a distinctive but intangible quality surrounding a person or thing; “an air of mystery”; “the house had a neglected air”; “an atmosphere of defeat pervaded the candidate’s headquarters”; “the place had an aura of romance”


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