captive audience
noun
: a person or people who are unable to leave a place and are thus forced to listen to what is being said
The passengers on the plane were a captive audience.
Examples of captive audience in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Emmys were a relatively big deal in the days when network TV was a largely captive audience.
—
Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2025
Immediately after Tengbjerg had urged us to respect everyone’s time, a European man told the captive audience about a revolutionary fat-burning treatment, Vacuslim 48, which involved what looked like shrink-wrap.
—Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Again, quality matters less to a captive audience, right?
—Mark Hughes, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
The move toward a more captive audience at Churchill Downs, where ticket-holders are provided with food and beverage inclusivity, has left restaurants with an even smaller piece of the pie.
—Amanda Hancock, The Courier-Journal, 26 July 2025
The Islanders, up until recently, have spent their time competing in saucy challenges, hooking up and breaking up at the Fijian villa in front of a captive audience.
—Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 13 July 2025
The patio tables are filled with a captive audience on a Tuesday night at the Little Woodrow’s bar in Fort Worth’s West 7th district.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 July 2025
In his 17th start of the season, Skubal held a captive audience.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 30 June 2025
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Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2025
Immediately after Tengbjerg had urged us to respect everyone’s time, a European man told the captive audience about a revolutionary fat-burning treatment, Vacuslim 48, which involved what looked like shrink-wrap.
—Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Again, quality matters less to a captive audience, right?
—Mark Hughes, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
The move toward a more captive audience at Churchill Downs, where ticket-holders are provided with food and beverage inclusivity, has left restaurants with an even smaller piece of the pie.
—Amanda Hancock, The Courier-Journal, 26 July 2025
The Islanders, up until recently, have spent their time competing in saucy challenges, hooking up and breaking up at the Fijian villa in front of a captive audience.
—Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 13 July 2025
The patio tables are filled with a captive audience on a Tuesday night at the Little Woodrow’s bar in Fort Worth’s West 7th district.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 July 2025
In his 17th start of the season, Skubal held a captive audience.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 30 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Captive audience.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/captive%20audience. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.
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