# abducted

/æbˈdəktɪd/ (US) · /ɐbdˈʌktɪd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/abducted
Updated: 2026-05-01

## Senses

### 2. being a kidnap victim

adjective · CEFR B2

describes a person who has been kidnapped.

For teachers: functioning as a participial adjective to describe an individual who has been the victim of an abduction.

- The family of the abducted child made a public plea for his safe return.
- Authorities distributed photographs of the abducted teenager to every border crossing in a desperate attempt to prevent the captors from leaving the country.

### 3. taken by aliens

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to be taken away by creatures from another planet in science fiction stories.

For teachers: used in a science-fiction context to describe the alleged seizure of humans by extraterrestrial beings.

- In the movie, the main character claims he was abducted by aliens while driving home.
- The documentary explores the psychological profiles of individuals who firmly believe they were abducted by extraterrestrials during the 1970s.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.