abduct

abduct — verb

1. to take a person away against their will, usually by using or threatening violen

1.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to take a person away against their will, usually by using or threatening violence, so that you can hold them somewhere — often to demand money or for some other criminal purpose.

Example

Two armed men abducted the businessman as he left his Taipei office.

abduct + person object

The schoolgirl was abducted on her way home and held for three days.

passive: be abducted

Common collocations
  • abduct a child
  • abduct a tourist
  • abduct at gunpoint
  • be abducted by aliens
  • allegedly abduct
Synonyms
  • kidnap

    everyday near-synonym; usually implies a ransom or political demand

  • seize

    broader; can apply to objects too, and emphasises the moment of grabbing

  • snatch

    informal; suggests a sudden, quick grab, often of a child

Antonyms
  • release

    the opposite action — letting the captive go

  • rescue

    freeing someone from captivity

Grammar Patterns

abduct + object

be abducted (passive)

abduct + object + from + place

Usage Note

Subject is usually a criminal, armed group, or (in fiction) aliens; object is always a person or animal, never an object. Frequently passive when the focus is on the victim. Distinguish from sense 2 (anatomy), which has no human-victim meaning.

Common Mistakes

The thief abducted my wallet from the table.
The thief stole my wallet from the table.
abduct can only take a person or living being as its object, not a thing.
She was abducted to the hospital after the accident.
She was rushed to the hospital after the accident.
abduct implies an unlawful, forced taking; medical transport is not abduction.

2. in anatomy, to move a limb, finger, or other body part sideways, away from an im

2.verbtransitiveC2
Definition

in anatomy, to move a limb, finger, or other body part sideways, away from an imaginary line running down the middle of the body — for example, raising your arm out to the side away from your torso.

Example

The therapist asked Mr. Lin to slowly abduct his right arm to shoulder height.

abduct + body-part object

After the surgery, Mei could barely abduct her shoulder more than ten degrees.

abduct + shoulder/limb

Common collocations
  • abduct the arm
  • abduct the shoulder
  • abduct the hip
  • abduct the fingers
  • abduct the thumb
Synonyms
  • extend

    broader; can mean straightening as well as moving outward

  • raise sideways

    plain-English paraphrase used outside clinical settings

Antonyms
  • adduct

    the precise anatomical opposite: move a limb back toward the midline

Grammar Patterns

abduct + body part

Usage Note

Restricted to anatomy, physiotherapy, and medical writing; ordinary speakers say 'lift away' or 'spread apart'. The opposite movement is 'adduct' (move back toward the body) — note the single-letter spelling difference.

Common Mistakes

Abduct your knee toward your chest.
Adduct your knee toward your chest.
moving toward the body's midline is adduct, not abduct.
I abducted my leg during the warm-up.' (in casual speech)
I lifted my leg out to the side during the warm-up.
abduct is technical; everyday English uses plainer verbs.

Word family

  • abduction
    nounC1
  • abductor
    nounC2
  • abducted
    adjectiveC1
  • abductee
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four describe taking a person against their will, but they differ in register and scope. 'Kidnap' is the everyday word and almost always implies a ransom demand or political motive — newspapers prefer it for ordinary criminal cases. 'Abduct' is slightly more formal and is the standard choice in legal documents, police reports, and stories about UFOs or human trafficking; it sounds neutral and clinical. 'Seize' is the broadest: you can seize a passport, a city, or a person, and it focuses on the sudden moment of taking control. 'Snatch' is informal and visual, suggesting a quick grab, and is most often used when a small child is taken. So a tabloid might write 'Toddler snatched from park,' while the same event in a court ruling becomes 'The defendant abducted the minor.'

abduct ↗kidnap ↗seize ↗snatch

Common collocations

Nouns

  • abduct a child
  • abduct a tourist
  • abduct a hostage
  • abduct a victim

Adverbs

  • allegedly abduct
  • forcibly abduct
  • violently abduct

Phrases

  • be abducted at gunpoint
  • be abducted by aliens
  • abduct and hold for ransom

Prepositions

  • abduct from [a place]
  • abduct by [a person/group]
  • abduct at [gunpoint/knifepoint]

Etymology

LatinEnglish

From Latin 'abductus', the past participle of 'abducere', meaning 'to lead away'. The Latin word combines 'ab-' ('away from') with 'ducere' ('to lead'), the same root that gives English words like 'duke', 'conduct', and 'introduce'. English borrowed the verb in the late 1500s, first in the anatomical sense of drawing a limb outward, and shortly after in the criminal sense of carrying a person off by force.