hostage
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.
The new risk is different and, in some ways, harder to manage: It assumes that civilian power infrastructure becomes a military asset, a hostage or a weapon simply by existing in a conflict zone.
From Salon • May 21, 2026
Tradition dictates that an MP is ceremonially held "hostage" in the palace to ensure the king's safe return.
From Barron's • May 13, 2026
Another commenter said that the delays in reopening feel like ownership “keeping a bit of our heritage hostage from us.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
With the mayor’s vocal support, Mr. Bratton put broken-windows policing to work, arresting “squeegee men” who smeared dirty rags across motorists’ windshields, holding them hostage for a “contribution.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
“You are right to laugh, Captain Short. For a while there, I did believe in all that under-the-rainbow crock-of-gold blarney, but now I know better. Now I know about the hostage fund.”
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
Vocabulary lists containing hostage
Chapter 21: Age of Exploration and Trade
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for March 18–March 24, 2023
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"I Go Along" and "Theme for English B"
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