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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.

See Examples For:

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

From MarketWatch Aug. 7, 2026

Dinner should not be held hostage by the farmers market.

From Salon Aug. 4, 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

The bizarre hostage crisis unfolded like a scene from a movie.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 18, 2026

The Killing House was a fake—a mock-up of an embassy used to train the SAS in the art of hostage release.

From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz

"The troops engaged the terrorists with effective fire, forcing them to abandon the victims and flee into adjoining bushes," he said, noting that all the hostages had been recovered without any casualties.

From BBC Aug. 9, 2026

“Once he became Middle East envoy and was given responsibility for the hostages, he became one of the most famous people in Israel overnight,” an Israeli journalist who has covered him told me.

From Slate Jul. 22, 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

The authorities say the hostages are receiving medical care.

From BBC Jun. 7, 2026

Neither have they brought away any hobbits as hostages.

From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien

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other hand, John Donvan conceded that there is a limit to living in the past—to hostaging yourself, for instance, to outdated agreements and other generations’ crimes.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