In this word confusion, abduct vs hijack vs kidnap are all the same, broadly speaking — taking someone or something away illegally. It’s the details that differentiate them.
To abduct focuses on a person and “is the criminal taking away [of] a person by persuasion, by fraud, or by open force or violence”. Some sites claim an abduction “is the unlawful interference with a family relationship, such as the taking of a child from its parent, irrespective of whether the person abducted consents or not”.
A hijack focuses on the vehicle, although it can involve things or persons.
A kidnap “is the taking away of a person by force, threat, or deceit, with intent to cause him or her to be detained against his or her will . . . [and] may be done for ransom or for political or other purposes”.
If you want to get very picky, a child (or adult) without guardianship is considered abducted and not kidnapped. While a person who is taken and is under a guardianship is considered kidnapped.
Then again, the FBI and some states view an abduction or a kidnapping as the same thing.
Source: (Kidnapping)
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Abduct | Hijack | Kidnap |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 — |
| Part of Grammar: | ||
| Verb, transitive
Third person present verb: abducts |
Noun; Verb, intransitive & transitive
Plural for the noun: hijacks Third person present verb: hijacks Alternative spelling: highjack |
Noun; Verb, transitive
Plural for the noun: kidnap Third person present verb: kidnaps |
| Verb, transitive: To take (someone) away by force or deception
[Physiology; of a muscle] Move (a limb or part) away from the midline of the body or from another part |
Noun: An incident or act of hijacking Verb, intransitive: Verb, transitive:
To kidnap (a person in a vehicle) |
Noun: The action of taking someone away illegally by force Verb, transitive: |
| Examples: | ||
| Verb, transitive: The millionaire who disappeared may have been abducted. She was charged with abducting a six-month-old child. Had his enemy succeeded in abducting his wife? Watch the posterior rectus muscle, which abducts the eye. See how abducting the fingers spreads them out. |
Noun: It’s a hijack! They made another unsuccessful hijack attempt. We’re trying to prevent a hijack. Verb, intransitive: “I’m pretty sure I’ve been hijacked and am no longer at the brain controls” (Nelson). “That plane, American Airlines Flight 77, left Washington Dulles this morning en route to Los Angeles but was apparently hijacked and turned back to complete its deadly mission” (Rogers). Verb, transitive: The UN convoys have been tamely allowing gunmen to hijack relief supplies. Thieves hijacked $20,000 worth of whisky from a lorry. The Republican party has been hijacked by Trump. He hijacked her story and used it in his own book. Three men stopped the car and highjacked Amy. |
Noun: They were arrested for robbery and kidnap. The kidnap alarm was a false one. He denies the kidnap. Verb, transitive: I’d hate to be kidnapped and bound with zip ties! “It costs a lot to kidnap someone and hold her against her will” (Reisenwitz). |
| Derivatives: | ||
| Adjective: unabducted Noun: abductee, abduction, abductor |
Adjective: antihijack Noun: highjacking, hijacker, hijacking |
Adjective: unkidnaped, unkidnapped Noun: kidnapee, kidnaper, kidnappee, kidnapper, kidnaping, kidnapping |
| History of the Word: | ||
| Early 17th century (in the adjective abducted), from the Latin abduct- meaning led away, from the verb abducere, from ab- (away, from) + ducere (to lead). | An Americanism dating back to 1920–25, as a back formation from hijacker. | Late 17th century, as a back-formation from kidnapper, from kid + slang nap meaning nab, seize. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
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Resources for Abduct vs Hijack vs Kidnap
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Apple Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com: hijack
“Federal Kidnapping Laws — 18 US Code § 1201.” Eisner Gorin LLP. n.d. Accessed 16 July 2024. <https://www.egattorneys.com/federal-kidnapping>.
The Free Dictionary: abduct, hijack
“Kidnapping v. Abduction.” USLegal. n.d. Accessed 16 July 2024. <https://kidnapping.uslegal.com/kidnapping-v-abduction/>.
Nelson, Jandy. I’ll Give You the Sun. Originally published 2014. Dial Books, 2015. <https://amzn.to/3VYRqU4>. Print.
Reisenwitz, Cathy. “Why It’s Time to Legalize Prostitution.” The Daily Beast. 14 Apr 2017. Accessed 16 July 2024. <https://www.thedailybeast.com/why-its-time-to-legalize-prostitution>.
Rogers, Tom. Eleven. Alto Nido Press, 2014. <https://amzn.to/4d2v6jp>. Ebook.
Pinterest Photo Credits
The Abduction of Boone’s Daughter by the Indians is an oil-on-canvas by Carl Wimar and is in the public domain courtesy of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art.
