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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.

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“Prices stay hostage to Hormuz transit data and any signal from the Iran-Oman channel. A durable reopening would cap upside, while further escalation points toward a retest of the $95 to $100/barrel band for Brent.”

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 18, 2026

Their last two presidents, Jimmy Carter and Lyndon Johnson, had left office under the clouds of the Iran hostage crisis, in the case of the former, and Vietnam with the latter.

From Salon Aug. 11, 2026

It seems like every industry is being held hostage by artificial intelligence.

From MarketWatch Aug. 7, 2026

"This is not fair. You can't be hostage in your own home. This is our farm. This is our home."

From BBC Jul. 25, 2026

Yup, my life began during a hostage crisis, a revolution, and a war, which is why I didn't get to enter the world on my own time.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

Friday, the two hostages were released, and at 2:30 a.m. the Hendricksons exited the trailer.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 18, 2026

By early Sunday morning, after additional stops in Newfoundland—where a portion of the hostages were released—and Iceland, the plane landed in Paris.

From Slate Jul. 7, 2026

"Bolivians cannot continue to be hostages of blockades that prevent working, studying, receiving medical attention, supplying themselves, and bringing sustenance to their homes," he said in a social media post on Saturday.

From BBC Jun. 20, 2026

Ronald Reagan tried as well, and the Iran-Contra affair sprung from misguided hopes of getting the regime to free other U.S. hostages, and from there move past hostility.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 17, 2026

One of her young hostages brought her morning meal, a plump shy girl named Mezzara, whose father ruled the pyramid of Merreq, and Dany gave her a happy hug and thanked her with a kiss.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

On the other hand, John Donvan conceded that there is a limit to living in the past—to hostaging yourself, for instance, to outdated agreements and other generations’ crimes.

From Slate Jan. 11, 2012

In their minds, hostaging means trading -- and trading means talking.

From Time Magazine Archive

Q. Have you expressed that view of hostaging to President Bush?

From Time Magazine Archive




Vocabulary lists containing hostage


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