Meaning & use
Abduct
Last updated
To take someone away illegally by force or deception; to kidnap.
See it in a sentence
Police believe the suspect planned to abduct the child from the school playground.
The organization campaigns against traffickers who abduct vulnerable people for forced labor.
A note on using this word
In anatomy, 'abduct' has an unrelated technical sense meaning to draw a limb away from the midline of the body, the opposite of 'adduct.'
Words with a similar meaning
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Another way to use it
2. verb
(Anatomy/Physiology) To move a limb or other body part away from the midline of the body.
The physical therapist asked her to abduct her arm slowly to the side.
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