kid ‧ nap /ˈkɪdnæp/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle kidnapped , present participle kidnapping, also kidnaped , kidnaping American English ) [transitive]
[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Origin: kid 'child' + nap 'to take, seize' (17-19 centuries) ]
to take someone somewhere illegally by force, often in order to get money for returning them ⇨ ransom :
Police appealed for witnesses after a woman was kidnapped at gunpoint.
—kidnapper noun [countable] :
the hunt for the kidnapper
—kidnapping ( also kidnap ) noun [uncountable and countable] :
a series of kidnappings