# kidnap

Pronunciation: US say "KID-nap" /ˈkɪdnæp/; UK

## Verb

1. To seize or hold a person unlawfully and carry them off or hide them, sometimes to demand a ransom.
   - Simple: To take someone away by force and hold them against their will, often to demand money.
   - _The rebels kidnapped the diplomat and held him for three weeks._
   - _Armed gangs sometimes kidnap travelers along the remote desert highway._

## Noun

2. The unlawful act or crime of seizing a person and carrying them off or holding them captive.
   - Simple: The crime of taking someone away by force and holding them against their will.
   - _The kidnap of the executive triggered a nationwide manhunt._
   - _She was charged with kidnap after the missing child was found in her car._

## Origin

Formed from kid combined with nap, meaning “to nab or grab.”

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/kidnap (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).