kidnap
/'kidnæp/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To take someone away illegally by force, typically to obtain a ransom or for other unlawful purposes. The act involves seizing and detaining a person against their will.
Usage
- The verb "kidnap" is used to describe the criminal act of abduction. It is a transitive verb, requiring a direct object (the person who is taken).
- It is often used in legal, journalistic, and general contexts to describe serious crimes.
- The past tense and past participle form is "kidnapped" (also sometimes "kidnaped" in American English).
Examples
- Verb:
- The criminals planned to kidnap the wealthy businessman's daughter.
- He was kidnapped from his home in the middle of the night.
- Authorities fear the missing journalist may have been kidnapped.
Advanced Usage
- "to be kidnapped": The passive voice is frequently used to describe the victim's experience.
- She was kidnapped and held captive for three weeks.
- "kidnapping for ransom": A common phrase specifying the motive.
- The police investigated the case as a kidnapping for ransom.
Variants and Related Words
- Kidnapper (noun): A person who kidnaps someone.
- The kidnappers demanded a million dollars.
- Kidnapping (noun): The crime or instance of kidnapping someone.
- He was charged with kidnapping.
Synonyms
- Abduct: To take someone away illegally, often used interchangeably with "kidnap."
- Snatch: To seize suddenly or forcibly, sometimes used informally for kidnapping.
- Seize: To take hold of suddenly and forcibly.
Related Phrases
- Hostage-taking: The act of seizing and holding people as hostages, which may overlap with kidnapping but often has different political or tactical motives.
- Abduction: The action of taking someone away by force or deception; a more general term that includes kidnapping.
Verb
- take away to an undisclosed location against their will and usually in order to extract a ransom
- The industrialist's son was kidnapped