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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 helps you draw boundaries without being held hostage to accusations of selfishness.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

Or that the domestic-romantic subplot dropped into the middle of hostage negotiations doesn’t make for an inelegant construction.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

It was an agreement to end the war, triggered by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, when about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Congresswoman Young Kim, the chairwoman of the subcommittee, opened the hearing by warning Americans: "If you travel to China, Beijing may take you hostage as leverage in diplomatic negotiation."

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Calling them hostage photos was like saying we were “guards” in a “prison.”

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

The ceasefire saw thousands of Palestinians held by Israel released in return for the remaining hostages held in Gaza.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

The last live hostages were freed a year ago as part of a US-brokered ceasefire deal in which Hamas stopped firing into Israel.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

And they left hostages like me waiting longer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 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

By now, surely, all of her hostages would have been released.

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other hand, John Donvan conceded that there is a limit to living in the past—to hostaging yourself, for instance, to outdated agreements and other generations’ crimes.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

Q. Have you expressed that view of hostaging to President Bush?

From Time Magazine Archive

In their minds, hostaging means trading -- and trading means talking.

From Time Magazine Archive




Vocabulary lists containing hostage


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