kidnap

USKID-nap/ˈkɪdnæp/

Verbkidnaps, kidnapping, kidnapped

Noun pluralkidnaps

2 meanings of kidnap

1
verbtransitive
To take someone away by force and hold them against their will, often to demand money.
Like grabbing a person and hiding them so no one can reach them.
Two men tried to kidnap the boy outside his school.
Some criminals kidnap rich people and ask their families for money.
Similarabduct, seize, snatch, capture
2
nouncountable or uncountable
The crime of taking someone away by force and holding them against their will.
The kidnap of the young girl made everyone in town afraid.
Police arrested two people for the kidnap.
Similarabduction

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Origin

From kid plus nap, an old word meaning to grab or nab.