(law) the unlawful act of capturing and carrying away a person against their will and holding them in false imprisonment
Crime of seizing, confining, abducting, or carrying away a person by force or fraud, often to subject him or her to involuntary servitude, in an attempt to demand a ransom, or in furtherance of another crime. Most countries consider it a grave offense punishable by a long prison sentence or death
1 Unlawful carrying away of a person against his or her will; false imprisonment coupled with removal of the victim to another place Kidnapping was only a misdemeanor in common law, but is a serious felony in the United States