Definition

1. 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

1. someone who unlawfully seizes and detains a victim (usually for ransom)