noun
abductor
ab-DUHK-ter/æbˈdʌktər/
A person who unlawfully takes someone away.
The abductor pulls a resisting, bound adult toward a van.
Etymology
The pieces describe someone who leads another away. In this sense, that removal is against the person's will or achieved through deception.
In context
… to everyone watching her fear read like a child in the grip of her abductor I held her hand a little firmer …
More examples
- The child escaped from her abductor.
- Investigators searched for the suspected abductor.
- The novel follows a detective pursuing an abductor.
Forms
abductor · abductors
Similar words
- kidnapper
- Kidnapper usually implies unlawful seizure of a person; abductor can also include taking by deception.
- captor
- A captor holds a prisoner; an abductor takes a person away.