Kidnap
/ˈkɪdnæp/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The crime, or an instance, of kidnapping. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To seize or detain a person unlawfully and move or conceal them; sometimes for ransom. transitive
"Hello, ladies! How’s the Big Apple? Rotten, Jerry! Clover's been kidnapped! Oh, dear! That's the second time this month!"
- 2 take away to an undisclosed location against their will and usually in order to extract a ransom wordnet
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"However men, seeking the contents of that safe, kidnap Hana. And those men were really detectives."
Etymology
From kid + nap (“to nab; to grab”). Originally Thieves' cant, referring to the practice of stealing children and shipping them to colonies or plantations as laborers. First attested c. 1680.