noun · verb · 3 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
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/ˈkɪdnæpɪŋ/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:K IH1 D N AE2 P IH0 NG
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Qualifier: crime
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
verb
Meaning 2
present participle and gerund of kidnap
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: form-of, gerund, participle, present
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
(law) the unlawful act of capturing and carrying away a person against their will and holding them in false imprisonment
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: snatch
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: capture, seizure
History
Etymology
No etymology was provided for this word.
Across languages
Translations
75 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
rrëmbim
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Arabic:
اِخْتِطَاف
(iḵtiṭāf)
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Armenian:
առեւանգում
(aṙewangum)
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Belarusian:
выкрада́нне
(vykradánnje)
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Bulgarian:
отвли́чане
(otvlíčane)
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Bulgarian:
похище́ние
(pohišténie)
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Catalan:
segrest
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Chinese Mandarin:
綁架 /绑架
(bǎngjià)
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Chinese Mandarin:
誘拐 /诱拐
(yòuguǎi)
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Chinese Mandarin:
拐騙 /拐骗
(guǎipiàn)
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Chinese Mandarin:
綁票 /绑票
(bǎngpiào)
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Czech:
únos
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Danish:
kidnapning
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Danish:
bortførelse
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Danish:
bortførsel
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Dutch:
gijzeling
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Esperanto:
homforkapto
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Estonian:
inimrööv
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Finnish:
ihmisryöstö
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Finnish:
sieppaus
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
French:
enlèvement
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
French:
kidnapping
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
French:
rapt
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Georgian:
მოტაცება
(moṭaceba)
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
German:
Entführung
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
German:
Menschenraub
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
German:
Kinderraub
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
German:
Kidnapping
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Greek:
απαγωγή
(apagogí)
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Ancient Greek:
ἀνδραποδισμός
(andrapodismós)
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Ancient Greek:
ἀπαγωγή
(apagōgḗ)
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Hebrew:
חֲטִיפָה
(ḥatifa)
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Hindi:
अपहरण
(apahraṇ)
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Hungarian:
emberrablás
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Icelandic:
mannrán
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Italian:
sequestro
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Japanese:
誘拐
(yūkai)
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Japanese:
拉致
(rachi)
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Khmer:
មនុស្សគ្រាស
(mĕəʼnuhsaʼkriəh)
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Korean:
납치
(napchi)
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Korean:
랍치
(rapchi)
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Korean:
유괴
(yugoe)
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Northern Kurdish:
revandin
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Lao:
ການລັກພາຕົວ
(kān lak phā tūa)
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Latin:
plagium
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Latvian:
nolaupīšana
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Lithuanian:
pagrobimas
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Macedonian:
киднапи́рање
(kidnapíranje)
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Malay:
penculikan
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Norwegian Bokmål:
kidnapping
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Norwegian Nynorsk:
kidnapping
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Persian:
آدمربایی
(âdam-robâyi)
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Polish:
porwanie
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Portuguese:
sequestro
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Portuguese:
rapto
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Romanian:
răpire
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Russian:
похище́ние
(poxiščénije)
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Russian:
киднэ́ппинг
(kidnɛ́pping)
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Russian:
кидне́ппинг
(kidnɛ́pping)
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Serbo-Croatian:
о̀тмица
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Serbo-Croatian:
òtmica
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Slovak:
únos
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Slovene:
ugrabitev
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Spanish:
secuestro
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Swahili:
utekaji nyara
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Swedish:
kidnappning
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Thai:
การลักพาตัว
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Thai:
ลักพาตัว
(lák-paa-dtuua)
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Turkish:
adam kaçırma
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Ukrainian:
ви́крадення
(výkradennja)
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Ukrainian:
викрада́ння
(vykradánnja)
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Vietnamese:
sự bắt cóc
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Yoruba:
ìjínigbé
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Yoruba:
ìwà sùnmọ̀mí
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
Yoruba:
ìwà gbọ́mọgbọ́mọ
— the crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom
