captive

1 of 2

adjective

cap·​tive ˈkap-tiv How to pronounce captive (audio)
1
a
: taken and held as or as if a prisoner of war
b(1)
: kept within bounds : confined
(2)
: of or relating to captive animals
captive breeding
2
: held under control of another but having the appearance of independence
especially : owned or controlled by another concern and operated for its needs rather than for an open market
a captive mine
3
: being such involuntarily because of a situation that makes free choice or departure difficult
a captive audience

captive

2 of 2

noun

plural captives
1
: one who has been captured : one taken and held usually in confinement
Something there is in us that finds captivity captivating, particularly when the captives are prisoners of war.David Murray
He said that while one of the war-boats was being made ready to take the captives into the lagoon, he and his sister left the camp quietly and got away in their canoe.Joseph Conrad
2
: one captivated, dominated, or controlled
a captive to love
Unlike so many experts pronouncing on that subject today, though, he has never been a captive of a particular ideology or of a well-heeled interest group.Uwe E. Reinhardt
Crescent City residents love their culinary customs—too much, according to some critics, who complain that the city's chefs are captives of the past.Mitch Frank

Examples of captive in a Sentence

Adjective The captive soldiers planned their escape. the captive soldiers were treated humanely by the guards Noun the captives in the concentration camp had devised a daring plan of escape
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Michel Iluz, whose son Guy Iluz was killed while captive in Gaza, shouted into the microphone at the Jerusalem protest, the pain in his voice mounting to a howl. Wafaa Shurafa, Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2025 Residues of the Barbary lion gene pool might still be found in captive environments. Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Noun
Enthralling both fellow captives and the Bey of Algiers, Cervantes, his spirit unbroken, also imagines a daring escape plan. John Hopewell, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025 Israeli estimates indicate that 48 captives remain in the Strip. Amelie Botbol, FOXNews.com, 30 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for captive

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Latin captivus, from captus, past participle of capere

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of captive was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Captive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/captive. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

captive

1 of 2 adjective
cap·​tive
ˈkap-tiv
1
: taken and held prisoner especially in war
2
: held or confined so as to prevent escape
a captive animal
3
: in a situation that makes free choice or leaving difficult
the airline passengers were a captive audience
captivity
kap-ˈtiv-ət-ē
noun

captive

2 of 2 noun
: one that is captive : prisoner

More from Merriam-Webster on captive

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!