abduct

abduct — verb

1. to take a person away against their will, usually by using or threatening violen

1.動詞及物C1
釋義

to take a person away against their will, usually by using or threatening violence, so that you can hold them somewhere — often to demand money or for some other criminal purpose.

例句

Two armed men abducted the businessman as he left his Taipei office.

abduct + person object

The schoolgirl was abducted on her way home and held for three days.

passive: be abducted

同義詞
  • kidnap

    everyday near-synonym; usually implies a ransom or political demand

  • seize

    broader; can apply to objects too, and emphasises the moment of grabbing

  • snatch

    informal; suggests a sudden, quick grab, often of a child

反義詞
  • release

    the opposite action — letting the captive go

  • rescue

    freeing someone from captivity

文法句型

abduct + object

be abducted (passive)

abduct + object + from + place

用法筆記

Subject is usually a criminal, armed group, or (in fiction) aliens; object is always a person or animal, never an object. Frequently passive when the focus is on the victim. Distinguish from sense 2 (anatomy), which has no human-victim meaning.

常見錯誤

❌The thief abducted my wallet from the table.
✅The thief stole my wallet from the table.
💡abduct can only take a person or living being as its object, not a thing.
❌She was abducted to the hospital after the accident.
✅She was rushed to the hospital after the accident.
💡abduct implies an unlawful, forced taking; medical transport is not abduction.

2. in anatomy, to move a limb, finger, or other body part sideways, away from an im

2.動詞及物C2
釋義

in anatomy, to move a limb, finger, or other body part sideways, away from an imaginary line running down the middle of the body — for example, raising your arm out to the side away from your torso.

例句

The therapist asked Mr. Lin to slowly abduct his right arm to shoulder height.

abduct + body-part object

After the surgery, Mei could barely abduct her shoulder more than ten degrees.

abduct + shoulder/limb

同義詞
  • extend

    broader; can mean straightening as well as moving outward

  • raise sideways

    plain-English paraphrase used outside clinical settings

反義詞
  • adduct

    the precise anatomical opposite: move a limb back toward the midline

文法句型

abduct + body part

用法筆記

Restricted to anatomy, physiotherapy, and medical writing; ordinary speakers say 'lift away' or 'spread apart'. The opposite movement is 'adduct' (move back toward the body) — note the single-letter spelling difference.

常見錯誤

❌Abduct your knee toward your chest.
✅Adduct your knee toward your chest.
💡moving toward the body's midline is adduct, not abduct.
❌I abducted my leg during the warm-up.' (in casual speech)
✅I lifted my leg out to the side during the warm-up.
💡abduct is technical; everyday English uses plainer verbs.