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.

Military spokesperson Lt-Col Haruna M Sani described the assault on Boko Haram's Mandara mountain hideout, "under cover of darkness", as one of the military's "most significant hostage rescue operations" in the north-east.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026

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

Australia will avoid recession even if a prolonged Middle East war pushes the oil price to $200 a barrel, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said Tuesday, outlining a national budget "heavily hostage to events overseas".

From Barron's • May 12, 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

“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