Okuzeka
Criminal Law & Justice vocabulary · Crimes & Offences

Kidnapping

Meaning in criminal law & justice, with examples

/ˈkɪdnæpɪŋ/nounCommon term

In criminal law & justice, kidnapping means: The crime of taking a person away by force or deception and holding them against their will, sometimes to demand money.

In Turkish: adam kaçırma, kişiyi hürriyetinden yoksun kılma, çocuk kaçırma

How it is used

Used in news and charges: 'charged with kidnapping', 'a kidnapping attempt', 'kidnapping for ransom'. The verb is 'kidnap' and the person is a 'kidnapper'. 'Abduction' is a close, more formal word, often used when a parent takes a child unlawfully.

Example sentences

  1. Three men were convicted of kidnapping a businessman and demanding a ransom.

  2. Police treated the case as a kidnapping after the family received a phone call.

Common collocations

  • charged with kidnapping
  • kidnapping for ransom
  • attempted kidnapping
  • kidnapping plot
  • offenceA formal word for an illegal act that the law punishes, from minor ones such as speeding to serious ones such as robbery.
  • felonyIn the US, a serious crime such as murder, robbery or burglary, usually punishable by more than one year in prison; less serious crimes are misdemeanors.
  • assaultThe crime of attacking someone physically or, in strict legal use, making someone fear that they are about to be attacked.
  • attemptThe crime of trying to commit an offence and taking real steps towards it, even though the offence is not completed.

More terms: Crimes & Offences

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level:

This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not legal advice.