Meanings
verbkidnap (third-person singular simple present kidnaps, present participle kidnapping or (rare, US only) kidnaping, simple past and past participle kidnapped or (rare, US only) kidnaped)
present singular third person kidnaps · participle present kidnapping · US participle present rare kidnaping · participle past kidnapped · past kidnapped · US participle past rare kidnaped · US past rare kidnaped
- transitiveTo seize or detain (a person) unlawfully and transport or conceal them, sometimes for ransom.First known use 17th c.
Angrest, a soldier, was kidnapped from his tank at the Nahal Oz base when it was attacked by Hamas.
2025 March 7, ToI staff, JTA, “The next 24: These are the remaining hostages presumed alive in Gaza”, in The Times of Israel, archived from the original on 03 Aug 20251 more example
Hello, ladies! How’s the Big Apple? Rotten, Jerry! Clover's been kidnapped! Oh, dear! That's the second time this month!
2002 September 6, Michelle and Robert Lamoreaux, “Model Citizens”, in Totally Spies!, season 1, episode 9, spoken by Alexandra “Alex” (Jess Harnell as Jerry and Katie Leigh), Marathon Media, via Teletoon
nounkidnap (countable and uncountable, plural kidnaps)
plural kidnaps
- countableuncountableThe crime, or an instance, of kidnapping.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo seize or detain (a person) unlawfully and transport or conceal them, sometimes for ransom.
More synonyms by meaning
verbtake away to an undisclosed location against their will and usually in order to extract a ransom
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
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.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἀπάγω
- ἀπάγω (apágō)to seize and detain a person unlawfully
Arabic اِخْتَطَفَ
- اِخْتَطَفَ (iḵtaṭafa)to seize and detain a person unlawfully
Bulgarian похищавам, отвличам
- похищавам (pohištavam)to seize and detain a person unlawfully
- отвличам (otvličam)to seize and detain a person unlawfully
- отвличане (otvličane)an instance of kidnapping
- похищение (pohištenie)an instance of kidnapping
Catalan segrestar, raptar
- segrestarto seize and detain a person unlawfully
- raptarto seize and detain a person unlawfully
- segrestan instance of kidnapping
- raptean instance of kidnapping
Chinese Cantonese 標參 /标参
- 標參 /标参 (biu¹ sam¹)to seize and detain a person unlawfully
Chinese Mandarin 綁架 /绑架, 綁票 /绑票
- 綁架 /绑架 (bǎngjià)to seize and detain a person unlawfully
- 綁票 /绑票 (bǎngpiào)to seize and detain a person unlawfully
- 拐帶 /拐带 (guǎidài)to seize and detain a person unlawfully
- 綁架 /绑架 (bǎngjià)an instance of kidnapping
- 誘拐 /诱拐 (yòuguǎi)an instance of kidnapping
- 拐騙 /拐骗 (guǎipiàn)an instance of kidnapping
- 綁票 /绑票 (bǎngpiào)an instance of kidnapping
Czech unést, únos
- unéstto seize and detain a person unlawfully
- únosan instance of kidnapping
Danish bortføre, kidnappe
- bortføreto seize and detain a person unlawfully
- kidnappeto seize and detain a person unlawfully
Dutch ontvoeren, kidnappen
- ontvoerento seize and detain a person unlawfully
- kidnappento seize and detain a person unlawfully
- ontvoeringan instance of kidnapping
Esperanto forkapti
- forkaptito seize and detain a person unlawfully
Estonian röövima
- röövimato seize and detain a person unlawfully
Finnish kidnapata, kaapata
- kidnapatato seize and detain a person unlawfully
- kaapatato seize and detain a person unlawfully
- siepatato seize and detain a person unlawfully
- kidnappausan instance of kidnapping
- sieppausan instance of kidnapping
French enlever, kidnapper
- enleverto seize and detain a person unlawfully
- kidnapperto seize and detain a person unlawfully
- ravirto seize and detain a person unlawfully
- enlèvementan instance of kidnapping
- kidnappingan instance of kidnapping
- raptan instance of kidnapping
German entführen, Entführung
- entführento seize and detain a person unlawfully
- Entführungan instance of kidnapping
- Menschenrauban instance of kidnapping
- Kinderrauban instance of kidnapping
Greek απάγω
- απάγω (apágo)to seize and detain a person unlawfully
Hebrew חטף, חטיפה
- חטף (ḥataf)to seize and detain a person unlawfully
- חטיפה (ḥatifa)an instance of kidnapping
Hindi अपहरण करना, अपहरण
- अपहरण करना (apahraṇ karnā)to seize and detain a person unlawfully
- अपहरण (apahraṇ)an instance of kidnapping
Hungarian elrabol, embert rabol
- elrabolto seize and detain a person unlawfully
- embert rabolto seize and detain a person unlawfully
- emberrablásan instance of kidnapping
Icelandic ræna
- rænato seize and detain a person unlawfully
Indonesian menculik, penculikan
- menculikto seize and detain a person unlawfully
- penculikanan instance of kidnapping
Irish fuadaigh, fuadach
- fuadaighto seize and detain a person unlawfully
- fuadachan instance of kidnapping
Italian rapire, sequestrare
- rapireto seize and detain a person unlawfully
- sequestrareto seize and detain a person unlawfully
- sequestroan instance of kidnapping
- rapimentoan instance of kidnapping
Japanese 誘拐する, 攫う
- 誘拐する (yūkai suru)to seize and detain a person unlawfully
- 攫う (sarau)to seize and detain a person unlawfully
- 拉致るto seize and detain a person unlawfully
- 誘拐 (yūkai)an instance of kidnapping
- 拉致 (rachi)an instance of kidnapping
Korean 채가다, 훔치다
- 채가다 (chaegada)to seize and detain a person unlawfully
- 훔치다 (humchida)to seize and detain a person unlawfully
- 납치하다 (napchihada)to seize and detain a person unlawfully
- 납치 (napchi)an instance of kidnapping
Latin raptō, rapiō
- raptōto seize and detain a person unlawfully
- rapiōto seize and detain a person unlawfully
Latvian nolaupīšana, nolaupīt
- nolaupīšanato seize and detain a person unlawfully
- nolaupītan instance of kidnapping
Māori mautāhae, tipua
- mautāhaeto seize and detain a person unlawfully
- tipuato seize and detain a person unlawfully
- tupuato seize and detain a person unlawfully
Norwegian kidnappe
- kidnappeto seize and detain a person unlawfully
Persian آدمربای کردن
- آدمربای کردن (âdam-robâye kardan)to seize and detain a person unlawfully
Polish porywać, porwać
- porywaćto seize and detain a person unlawfully
- porwaćto seize and detain a person unlawfully
- uprowadzaćto seize and detain a person unlawfully
- uprowadzićto seize and detain a person unlawfully
- porwaniean instance of kidnapping
- uprowadzeniean instance of kidnapping
Portuguese sequestrar, raptar
- sequestrarto seize and detain a person unlawfully
- raptarto seize and detain a person unlawfully
- sequestroan instance of kidnapping
Romanian răpi
- răpito seize and detain a person unlawfully
Russian похища́ть, похи́тить
- похища́ть (poxiščátʹ)to seize and detain a person unlawfully
- похи́тить (poxítitʹ)to seize and detain a person unlawfully
- красть (krastʹ)to seize and detain a person unlawfully
- укра́сть (ukrástʹ)to seize and detain a person unlawfully
- выкра́дывать (vykrádyvatʹ)to seize and detain a person unlawfully
- вы́красть (výkrastʹ)to seize and detain a person unlawfully
- ворова́ть (vorovátʹ)to seize and detain a person unlawfully
- сворова́ть (svorovátʹ)to seize and detain a person unlawfully
- похище́ние (poxiščénije)an instance of kidnapping
Slovak uniesť
- uniesťto seize and detain a person unlawfully
Spanish secuestrar, raptar
- secuestrarto seize and detain a person unlawfully
- raptarto seize and detain a person unlawfully
- secuestroan instance of kidnapping
- raptoan instance of kidnapping
Swahili teka nyara
- teka nyarato seize and detain a person unlawfully
Swedish kidnappa, kidnappning
- kidnappato seize and detain a person unlawfully
- kidnappningan instance of kidnapping
Tagalog kidnap, dukot
- kidnapan instance of kidnapping
- dukotan instance of kidnapping
Tamil கடத்து
- கடத்து (kaṭattu)to seize and detain a person unlawfully
Thai ลักพาตัว
- ลักพาตัว (lák-paa-dtuua)to seize and detain a person unlawfully
Turkish kaçırmak
- kaçırmakto seize and detain a person unlawfully
Ukrainian викрада́ти, ви́красти
- викрада́ти (vykradáty)to seize and detain a person unlawfully
- ви́красти (výkrasty)to seize and detain a person unlawfully
Vietnamese bắt cóc, sự bắt cóc
- bắt cócto seize and detain a person unlawfully
- sự bắt cócan instance of kidnapping
Yiddish אַוועקכאַפּן
- אַוועקכאַפּן (avekkhapn)to seize and detain a person unlawfully
Cite this entry
APA
kidnap. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kidnap
MLA
“kidnap.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kidnap. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kidnap,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kidnap.
Source: kidnap on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.