verb
kidnap
KIHD-nap
verb
1
To unlawfully seize and hold a person captive, often to demand a ransom.
"The gang kidnapped the businessman and demanded a large ransom."
"Police rescued the child two days after she was kidnapped."
How to Use Kidnap
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo illegally capture and hold someone against their will.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
kidnap for ransom
attempted kidnapping
Word Forms
kidnapped past tense, kidnaped past tense, kidnaps plural, kidnaps singular
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Etymology
From "kid" (child) + slang "nap" (to snatch or grab). It began as 17th-century criminal slang for stealing children to sell as laborers in overseas colonies.