kidnap
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kidnap
- /ˈkɪdnæp/
- /kɪdˈnæp/ Northern England, dated
Where it comes from
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.
verb kidnaps · kidnapping · kidnaping · kidnapped · kidnaped
- To seize or detain a person unlawfully and move or conceal them; sometimes for ransom. Hello, ladies! How’s the Big Apple? Rotten, Jerry! Clover's been kidnapped! Oh, dear! That's the second time this month!
noun kidnaps
- The crime, or an instance, of kidnapping.
