kidnap
(redirected from kidnapee)Also found in: Thesaurus.
kid·nap
(kĭd′năp′)tr.v. kid·napped, kid·nap·ping, kid·naps or kid·naped or kid·nap·ing
To abduct or confine (a person) forcibly, by threat of force, or by deceit, without the authority of law.
kid′nap·pee′, kid′nap·ee′ (kĭd′nă-pē′) n.
kid′nap′ n.
kid′nap′per, kid′nap′er n.
Word History: Kidnapper seems to have originated among those who perpetrate this crime. We know this because kid and napper, the two parts of the compound, were slang of the sort that criminals used. Kid, which still has an informal air, was considered low slang when kidnapper was formed, and napper is obsolete slang for a thief, coming from the verb nap, "to steal." Nap is possibly a variant of nab, which also still has a slangy ring. In the second half of the 1600s, when the word kidnapper begins to appear in English, kidnappers plied their trade to secure laborers for plantations in colonies such as the ones in North America. The term later took on the broader sense that it has today. The verb kidnap begins to be attested a bit later than kidnapper and is possibly a back-formation from kidnapper—that is, the suffix -er was removed from kidnapper to create a new verb kidnap.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
kidnap
(ˈkɪdnæp)vb, -naps, -napping or -napped, -naps, -naping or -naped
(tr) to carry off and hold (a person), usually for ransom
[C17: kid1 + obsolete nap to steal; see nab]
ˈkidnapper, ˈkidnaper n
ˈkidnapping, ˈkidnaping n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
kid•nap
(ˈkɪd næp)v.t. -napped -naped, -nap•ping -nap•ing.
to carry off (a person) by force or fraud, esp. for use as a hostage or to extract ransom; abduct.
kid`nap•pee′, kid`nap•ee′, n.
kid′nap•per, kid′nap•er, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
kidnap
Past participle: kidnapped
Gerund: kidnapping
| Imperative |
|---|
| kidnap |
| kidnap |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Verb | 1. |  kidnap - take away to an undisclosed location against their will and usually in order to extract a ransom; "The industrialist's son was kidnapped"crime, criminal offence, criminal offense, law-breaking, offense, offence - (criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act; "a long record of crimes" seize - take or capture by force; "The terrorists seized the politicians"; "The rebels threaten to seize civilian hostages" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
kidnap
verb abduct, remove, steal, capture, seize, snatch (slang), hijack, run off with, run away with, make off with, hold to ransom Police in Brazil uncovered a plot to kidnap him.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
kidnap
verbTo seize and detain (a person) unlawfully:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يَخْتَطِفُيَخْطُف، يَخْتَطِف
unéstúnos
kidnappe
kaapatakidnapatakidnappaussiepata
oteti
elrabol
ræna
誘拐する誘拐
유괴하다
pagrobėjas
ar varu aizvestnolaupīt
ugrabiti
kidnappa
ลักพาตัว
bắt cóc
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
kidnap
(ˈkidnӕp) – past tense, past participle ˈkidnapped , (American) ˈkidnaped – verb to carry off (a person) by force, often demanding money in exchange for his safe return. He is very wealthy and lives in fear of his children being kidnapped.
ˈkidnapper nounKernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
kidnap
→ يَخْتَطِفُ unést kidnappe entführen απάγω raptar siepata enlever oteti sequestrare 誘拐する 유괴하다 ontvoeren kidnappe porwać raptar похищать людей kidnappa ลักพาตัว kaçırmak bắt cóc 绑架Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009