kidnapper
/'kidnæpə/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A person who takes someone away illegally by force, typically to obtain a ransom: A kidnapper is an individual who commits the crime of kidnapping, which involves the unlawful seizure, confinement, and carrying away of a person against their will.
Usage
- The word "kidnapper" is used to identify a person who has committed or is suspected of committing the act of kidnapping. It is a countable noun.
- It is typically used in legal, news, and general descriptive contexts to describe a criminal.
Examples
- Noun:
- The police are searching for the kidnapper who abducted the businessman.
- The kidnapper demanded a large sum of money for the safe return of the child.
- She was terrified when she realized she was in the car with a kidnapper.
Advanced Usage
- "Alleged kidnapper": Used in legal or journalistic contexts before a person has been convicted in court.
- The alleged kidnapper will appear before the judge tomorrow.
- "Notorious kidnapper": Describes a kidnapper who is widely and unfavorably known.
- The notorious kidnapper was finally captured after a decade-long manhunt.
Variants and Related Words
- Kidnap (verb): To take someone away illegally by force.
- The criminals planned to kidnap the ambassador.
- Kidnapping (noun): The act or crime of taking someone away by force.
- He was charged with kidnapping and extortion.
- Abductor (noun): A synonym often used interchangeably with "kidnapper," though it can have a broader meaning of taking someone away by force for any purpose.
- The abductor's motives were unclear.
Synonyms
- Abductor: One who takes someone away by force.
- Snatcher: (Informal) One who seizes someone suddenly.
- Captor: One who takes or holds a person captive.
Related Phrases
- To hold for ransom: The typical goal of a kidnapper's crime.
- The kidnappers held the victim for a ransom of one million dollars.
- Hostage-taker: While similar, a hostage-taker typically seizes and detains people in a specific location (like a building) to compel a demand, whereas a kidnapper usually moves the victim.
- The situation involved a hostage-taker, not a kidnapper demanding money from a family.
Noun
- someone who unlawfully seizes and detains a victim (usually for ransom)