German word

entführen

Pronunciation

IPA/ɛntˈfyːʁən/

Meaning

  • verbkidnap

Example

Die Täter entführten das Kind.

The perpetrators kidnapped the child.

Illustration for entführen (kidnap)

More examples

Bewaffnete Männer entführten ein Flugzeug.

Armed men hijacked an airplane.

Core concept

A person is forced out of ordinary life and placed under someone else's control.

Common phrases

  • jemanden entführen

    kidnap someone

  • ein Flugzeug entführen

    hijack an airplane

Similar words

kidnappen: To take someone away by force or threat, in everyday speech.
mitnehmen: To take someone along, either with or without their consent.
abholen: To go and pick someone up and bring them back.
verschleppen: To forcibly take someone far away and hold them there.

Definition in German

jemanden gewaltsam oder gegen den Willen an einen anderen Ort bringen oder festhalten, oft mit dem Ziel, Lösegeld zu fordern oder Zwang auszuüben.

Word origin

Entführen combines ent- 'away' with führen 'lead', giving the formation the sense of leading someone away.

Usage tips

  • Entführen takes an accusative object, as in jemanden entführen, and its prefix is inseparable: entführt and hat entführt are the standard forms.

Other meanings

  • abductverb
  • carry awayverb
  • hijackverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word