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Definition of abduction : 1. A syllogism or form of argument in which the major is evident, but the minor is only probable.
2. The act of abducing or abducting; a drawing apart; a carrying away.
3. The movement which separates a limb or other part from the axis, or middle line, of the body.
4. The wrongful, and usually the forcible, carrying off of a human being; as, the abduction of a child, the abduction of an heiress.

Synonyms:

confiscation, arrest, occupation, seizure, appropriation, capture, apprehension, acquisition

Usage examples:

• Dupin's written evidence provided the rest of the abduction story, seemingly, and there remained only the other charge, that of assisting at the ambush of the murdered Captain Maurel. - "The Missourian", Eugene P. (Eugene Percy) Lyle.
• He proposed, with Mr. Ryfe's assistance, to accomplish no less flagrant an outrage than the forcible abduction of Lady Bearwarden from her home. - "M. or N. "Similia similibus curantur."", G.J. Whyte-Melville.
• She would listen to no hints of abduction, but persisted in her declaration that the river had swallowed her darling, and would neither rest nor turn her head from its waters till some half a dozen men about the place had been set systematically to work to drag the stream. - "The Millionaire Baby", Anna Katharine Green.