verschleppt

Verschleppt is a German adjective and the past participle of the verb verschleppen. It describes a person who has been carried away or abducted by force, or a situation in which someone has been forcibly removed. In English, verschleppt is commonly translated as abducted or carried off.

Verschleppen combines the prefix ver- with schleppen (to haul or drag). The prefix adds a sense of completion or harm, and the verb conveys physical dragging or forcing someone to move. The usage emphasizes coercive removal rather than a voluntary departure.

It appears in news reports, police statements, and crime fiction. It is often used for sudden, forceful abductions where the victim is taken away against their will. The related verb entführen also means to abduct, but verschleppen stresses the act of dragging someone away and can carry a slightly more colloquial or sensational tone.

The noun Verschleppung denotes the act of abduction or dragging away. There is a separate term Verfahrensverschleppung in legal language to refer to procedural delays, not to be confused with the crime sense of verschleppen.

Examples include: Die vermisste Person wurde verschleppt. Die Täter versuchten, die Zeugin zu verschleppen.