English Explanatory Dictionary

kidnap

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To seize or detain a person unlawfully and move or conceal them; sometimes for ransom.
noun
  1. The crime, or an instance, of kidnapping.

Pronunciation

/ˈkɪdnæp/ /kɪdˈnæp/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-kidnap.wav

Word forms

kidnap kidnaps kidnapping kidnaping kidnapped kidnaped

Etymology

From kid + nap (“to nab; to grab”). Originally Thieves' cant, referring to the practice of stealing children and shipping them to colonies or plantations as laborers. First attested c. 1680.

Related words

kidnapper kidnaper kidnappee kidnapee

Derived words

antikidnap dognap dognapper dognapping kidnappable kidnapped robot problem rekidnap tiger kidnap unkidnap
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