1. a person who abducts someone and holds them captive, typically to obtain a ransom

Examples

• The kidnapper demanded a million dollars for the safe return of the businessman.
• Police arrested the kidnapper after a three-day manhunt.
• The victim was able to identify her kidnapper in a lineup.
• FBI agents negotiated with the kidnapper for hours.
• The kidnapper was sentenced to twenty years in prison.
• Security cameras captured images of the suspected kidnapper.
• The family refused to pay the kidnapper’s demands.