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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:

Seven minutes later, they changed the alert to a code signaling unlawful interference—used to describe attempts to jeopardize the safety of the airplane, like hijacking or hostage taking.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

An online petition in January 2026 called for Hashemi's deportation from the US due to his mother's involvement in the hostage crisis.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 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

She told him, “They’ve got my passport,” and he thought this vaguely sinister, almost a hostage holding.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The first phase saw the release of all remaining hostages taken during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 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

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026

Such films have been funded in part by Sacramento’s business hostages.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

“Wards, we always called them, when Winterfell demanded boys of us, but they were hostages, and none the worse for it.”

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other hand, John Donvan conceded that there is a limit to living in the past—to hostaging yourself, for instance, to outdated agreements and other generations’ crimes.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