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Definitions

hostage

[hos-tij] / ˈhɒs tɪdʒ /
NOUN
person held captive until captor's demand is met
Synonyms
Antonyms


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It’s a job that requires a doctorate, a love of Gouda and the diplomacy of a hostage negotiator.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

This was one of the reasons police struggled to find him after the shooting, says Dr Vincent Hurley, a former police hostage negotiator who now lectures on policing at Macquarie University.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Coyle, from Colorado, was arrested in January 2025, according to the Foley Foundation, which advocates for the release of Americans taken hostage or arbitrarily detained abroad.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

During the Iran hostage crisis, William Daugherty, a newly minted case officer in the CIA’s Directorate of Operations, was kept there, in a 4-foot-wide cell lit 24 hours by a dim, dangling bulb.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

He ran up the stoop and they all greeted one another as if a hostage standoff had just ended.

From "Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel" by Harlan Coben




Vocabulary lists containing hostage