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.
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The idea is to avoid being held hostage by a major market correction or, worse, a recession by being forced to withdraw money during a down market.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026
This one is very real: a kind of Vision 2.0, rebuilt by the intelligence agency tasked with saving the New Jersey town Wanda took hostage to shore up her classic family sitcom simulation.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
It helps you draw boundaries without being held hostage to accusations of selfishness.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
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
Fleur Delacour, though she demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble-Head Charm, was attacked by grindylows as she approached her goal, and failed to retrieve her hostage.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
The ceasefire saw thousands of Palestinians held by Israel released in return for all of the 48 remaining hostages held in Gaza, and an agreement to end the war.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
Embassy in Tehran and seized American hostages, 52 of whom it held for 444 days.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
Eisenkot has said he would launch an independent inquiry into the attack, which left around 1,200 people dead and another roughly 250 as hostages.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
The ceasefire saw thousands of Palestinians held by Israel released in return for the remaining hostages held in Gaza.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 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other hand, John Donvan conceded that there is a limit to living in the past—to hostaging yourself, for instance, to outdated agreements and other generations’ crimes.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
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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