Standard Lemma guide

kidnapper

noun · 2 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.

  • General-American: /ˈkɪdnæpɚ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: K IH1 D N AE2 P ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A person who kidnaps someone.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

someone who unlawfully seizes and detains a victim (usually for ransom)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: kidnaper, abductor, snatcher

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: captor, capturer, criminal, felon, crook, outlaw, malefactor

Narrower terms: crimp, crimper, shanghaier, seizer

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English kidnap Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere English -er English kidnapper From kidnap + -er.

Across languages

Translations

76 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مُخْتَطِف (muḵtaṭif) — one who performs kidnap
  • Belarusian: выкрада́льнік (vykradálʹnik) — one who performs kidnap
  • Belarusian: выкрада́льніца (vykradálʹnica) — one who performs kidnap
  • Bulgarian: похити́тел (pohitítel) — one who performs kidnap
  • Bulgarian: похити́телка (pohitítelka) — one who performs kidnap
  • Catalan: segrestador — one who performs kidnap
  • Chinese Cantonese: 拐子佬 (gwaai2 zi2 lou2) — one who performs kidnap
  • Chinese Mandarin: 誘拐者 /诱拐者 (yòuguǎizhě) — one who performs kidnap
  • Chinese Mandarin: 綁架者 /绑架者 (bǎngjiàzhě) — one who performs kidnap
  • Chinese Mandarin: 劫持者 (jiéchízhě) — one who performs kidnap
  • Czech: únosce — one who performs kidnap
  • Czech: únoskyně — one who performs kidnap
  • Danish: kidnapper — one who performs kidnap
  • Danish: bortfører — one who performs kidnap
  • Dutch: kidnapper — one who performs kidnap
  • Dutch: ontvoerder — one who performs kidnap
  • Dutch: schaker — one who performs kidnap
  • Estonian: inimröövija — one who performs kidnap
  • Finnish: sieppaaja — one who performs kidnap
  • Finnish: kidnappaaja — one who performs kidnap
  • French: ravisseur — one who performs kidnap
  • French: ravisseuse — one who performs kidnap
  • French: kidnappeur — one who performs kidnap
  • French: kidnappeuse — one who performs kidnap
  • Galician: secuestrador — one who performs kidnap
  • Georgian: გამტაცებელი (gamṭacebeli) — one who performs kidnap
  • Georgian: მომტაცებელი (momṭacebeli) — one who performs kidnap
  • German: Entführer — one who performs kidnap
  • German: Entführerin — one who performs kidnap
  • Greek: απαγωγέας (apagogéas) — one who performs kidnap
  • Hindi: अपहरणकर्ता (apharaṇkartā) — one who performs kidnap
  • Hindi: अपहर्ता (aphartā) — one who performs kidnap
  • Hungarian: emberrabló — one who performs kidnap
  • Hungarian: gyermekrabló — one who performs kidnap
  • Icelandic: mannræningi — one who performs kidnap
  • Italian: rapitore — one who performs kidnap
  • Italian: rapitrice — one who performs kidnap
  • Japanese: 誘拐犯 (yūkaihan) — one who performs kidnap
  • Korean: 유괴범 (yugoebeom) — one who performs kidnap
  • Korean: 납치범 (napchibeom) — one who performs kidnap
  • Korean: 랍치범 (rapchibeom) — one who performs kidnap
  • Latin: plagiārius — one who performs kidnap
  • Latin: plagiāria — one who performs kidnap
  • Macedonian: грабнувач (grabnuvač) — one who performs kidnap
  • Macedonian: грабнувачка (grabnuvačka) — one who performs kidnap
  • Macedonian: киднапе́р (kidnapér) — one who performs kidnap
  • Macedonian: киднапе́рка (kidnapérka) — one who performs kidnap
  • Norwegian Bokmål: kidnapper — one who performs kidnap
  • Norwegian Bokmål: barnerøver — one who performs kidnap
  • Norwegian Bokmål: kidnapperske — one who performs kidnap
  • Norwegian Bokmål: barnenapper — one who performs kidnap
  • Old English: manþēof — one who performs kidnap
  • Polish: porywacz — one who performs kidnap
  • Polish: porywaczka — one who performs kidnap
  • Polish: uprowadziciel — one who performs kidnap
  • Polish: uprowadzicielka — one who performs kidnap
  • Portuguese: sequestrador — one who performs kidnap
  • Romanian: răpitor — one who performs kidnap
  • Romanian: răpitoare — one who performs kidnap
  • Russian: похити́тель (poxitítelʹ) — one who performs kidnap
  • Russian: похити́тельница (poxitítelʹnica) — one who performs kidnap
  • Serbo-Croatian: òtmičār — one who performs kidnap
  • Serbo-Croatian: ljudokradica — one who performs kidnap
  • Slovak: únosca — one who performs kidnap
  • Slovak: únoskyňa — one who performs kidnap
  • Slovene: ugrabitelj — one who performs kidnap
  • Slovene: ugrabiteljica — one who performs kidnap
  • Spanish: secuestrador — one who performs kidnap
  • Spanish: raptor — one who performs kidnap
  • Spanish: captor — one who performs kidnap
  • Swahili: mtekaji nyara — one who performs kidnap
  • Swedish: kidnappare — one who performs kidnap
  • Turkish: çocuk hırsızı — one who performs kidnap
  • Ukrainian: викрада́ч (vykradáč) — one who performs kidnap
  • Ukrainian: викрада́чка (vykradáčka) — one who performs kidnap
  • Yoruba: gbọ́mọgbọ́mọ — one who performs kidnap
Real reading context

kidnapper in complete knowledge articles