noun · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/əbˈdʌk.ʃn̩/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
US:/æbˈdʌk.ʃn̩/
US:/æbˈdək.ʃn̩/
US:/əbˈdək.ʃn̩/
/ˈeɪˈbiː.dʌk.ʃn̩/anatomy sense
CMU ARPABET:AE0 B D AH1 K SH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 2:AH0 B D AH1 K SH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A leading away; a carrying away.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
The act of abducing or abducting; a drawing apart; the movement which separates a limb or other part from the axis, or middle line, of the body.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: anatomy, medicine, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A syllogism or form of argument in which the major premise is evident, but the minor is only probable.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
(physiology) moving of a body part away from the central axis of the body
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: motion, movement, move, motility
7
noun
Meaning 7
the criminal act of capturing and carrying away by force a family member; if a man's wife is abducted it is a crime against the family relationship and against the wife
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: capture, seizure
History
Etymology
From Latin abductiō(n) (“a robbing; an abduction”), from abdūcō (“to take or lead away”), from ab (“away”) + dūcō (“to lead”). By surface analysis, abduct + -ion or abduce + -tion. * (physiology): From French, from Latin abductus. * Compare French abduction.
Across languages
Translations
119 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
اِخْتِطَاف
(iḵtiṭāf)
— leading away, carrying away
Armenian:
հափշտակում
(hapʻštakum)
— leading away, carrying away
Belarusian:
выкрада́нне
(vykradánnje)
— leading away, carrying away
Bulgarian:
отвли́чане
(otvlíčane)
— leading away, carrying away
Bulgarian:
похище́ние
(pohišténie)
— leading away, carrying away
Chinese Mandarin:
綁架 /绑架
(bǎngjià)
— leading away, carrying away
Czech:
únos
— leading away, carrying away
Danish:
bortføring
— leading away, carrying away
Dutch:
afvoering
— leading away, carrying away
Esperanto:
forrabo
— leading away, carrying away
Finnish:
poisvienti
— leading away, carrying away
Finnish:
poistaminen
— leading away, carrying away
French:
enlèvement
— leading away, carrying away
Georgian:
მოტაცება
(moṭaceba)
— leading away, carrying away
German:
Entführung
— leading away, carrying away
Greek:
απαγωγή
(apagogí)
— leading away, carrying away
Hindi:
अपहरण
(apahraṇ)
— leading away, carrying away
Hungarian:
eltérítés
— leading away, carrying away
Italian:
rapimento
— leading away, carrying away
Italian:
sequestro
— leading away, carrying away
Japanese:
誘拐
(yūkai)
— leading away, carrying away
Japanese:
拉致
(rachi)
— leading away, carrying away
Korean:
유괴
(yugoe)
— leading away, carrying away
Korean:
납치
(napchi)
— leading away, carrying away
Korean:
랍치
(rapchi)
— leading away, carrying away
Latin:
abductiō
— leading away, carrying away
Latin:
raptiō
— leading away, carrying away
Latvian:
nolaupīšana
— leading away, carrying away
Lithuanian:
pagrobimas
— leading away, carrying away
Lithuanian:
grobimas
— leading away, carrying away
Macedonian:
киднапи́рање
(kidnapíranje)
— leading away, carrying away
Malay:
penculikan
— leading away, carrying away
Norwegian Bokmål:
bortførsel
— leading away, carrying away
Norwegian Bokmål:
bortførelse
— leading away, carrying away
Norwegian Bokmål:
bortføring
— leading away, carrying away
Polish:
uprowadzenie
— leading away, carrying away
Polish:
porwanie
— leading away, carrying away
Romanian:
răpire
— leading away, carrying away
Russian:
похище́ние
(poxiščénije)
— leading away, carrying away
Serbo-Croatian:
о̀тмица
— leading away, carrying away
Serbo-Croatian:
òtmica
— leading away, carrying away
Slovak:
únos
— leading away, carrying away
Slovene:
ugrabitev
— leading away, carrying away
Spanish:
rapto
— leading away, carrying away
Spanish:
secuestro
— leading away, carrying away
Tamil:
கடத்து
(kaṭattu)
— leading away, carrying away
Tamil:
கடத்தல்
(kaṭattal)
— leading away, carrying away
Ukrainian:
ви́крадення
(výkradennja)
— leading away, carrying away
Ukrainian:
викрада́ння
(vykradánnja)
— leading away, carrying away
Vietnamese:
sự bắt cóc
— leading away, carrying away
Bulgarian:
абду́кция
(abdúkcija)
— physiology: movement separating limb from axis
Catalan:
abducció
— physiology: movement separating limb from axis
Czech:
abdukce
— physiology: movement separating limb from axis
Danish:
abduktion
— physiology: movement separating limb from axis
Dutch:
abductie
— physiology: movement separating limb from axis
Esperanto:
abdukcio
— physiology: movement separating limb from axis
Finnish:
loitonnus
— physiology: movement separating limb from axis
Finnish:
abduktio
— physiology: movement separating limb from axis
French:
abduction
— physiology: movement separating limb from axis
Georgian:
აბდუქცია
(abdukcia)
— physiology: movement separating limb from axis
German:
Abduktion
— physiology: movement separating limb from axis
Greek:
απαγωγή
(apagogí)
— physiology: movement separating limb from axis
Hindi:
अपवर्तन
(apvartan)
— physiology: movement separating limb from axis
Indonesian:
abduksi
— physiology: movement separating limb from axis
Italian:
abduzione
— physiology: movement separating limb from axis
Norwegian Bokmål:
abduksjon
— physiology: movement separating limb from axis
Polish:
abdukcja
— physiology: movement separating limb from axis
Portuguese:
abdução
— physiology: movement separating limb from axis
Romanian:
abducție
— physiology: movement separating limb from axis
Russian:
абду́кция
(abdúkcija)
— physiology: movement separating limb from axis
Spanish:
abducción
— physiology: movement separating limb from axis
Danish:
abduktion
— logic: type of syllogism
Dutch:
abductie
— logic: type of syllogism
Finnish:
abduktio
— logic: type of syllogism
Finnish:
abduktiivinen päättely
— logic: type of syllogism
French:
abduction
— logic: type of syllogism
German:
Abduktion
— logic: type of syllogism
Greek:
απαγωγή
(apagogí)
— logic: type of syllogism
Icelandic:
fráleiðsla
— logic: type of syllogism
Italian:
abduzione
— logic: type of syllogism
Norwegian Bokmål:
abduksjon
— logic: type of syllogism
Polish:
abdukcja
— logic: type of syllogism
Romanian:
abducție
— logic: type of syllogism
Russian:
абду́кция
(abdúkcija)
— logic: type of syllogism
Spanish:
abducción
— logic: type of syllogism
Bulgarian:
отвличане
(otvličane)
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
Catalan:
segrest
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
Czech:
únos
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
Danish:
bortføring
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
Danish:
kidnappning
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
Dutch:
ontvoering
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
Dutch:
kidnapping
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
Dutch:
schaking
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
Esperanto:
kidnapo
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
Esperanto:
forkapto
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
Finnish:
sieppaus
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
Finnish:
ihmisryöstö
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
Finnish:
kidnappaus
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
French:
rapt
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
French:
enlèvement
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
German:
Entführung
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
Greek:
απαγωγή
(apagogí)
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
Hungarian:
emberrablás
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
Indonesian:
abduksi
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
Irish:
fuadach
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
Italian:
rapimento
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
Japanese:
誘拐
(yūkai)
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
Norwegian Bokmål:
bortførsel
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
Norwegian Bokmål:
bortførelse
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
Norwegian Bokmål:
bortføring
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
Norwegian Bokmål:
kidnapping
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
Portuguese:
sequestro
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
Portuguese:
abdução
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
Romanian:
răpire
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
Russian:
похище́ние
(poxiščénije)
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
Slovene:
ugrabitev
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
Spanish:
rapto
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
Tamil:
கடத்தல்
(kaṭattal)
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
Turkish:
adam kaçırma
— law: wrongful carrying off of a human being
