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
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
In turn, agencies are eager to take hold of a new captive audience, striking while the iron is hot to lead a new generation of influencer into a booming market.
—Kazuma Hashimoto, Rolling Stone, 17 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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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
In turn, agencies are eager to take hold of a new captive audience, striking while the iron is hot to lead a new generation of influencer into a booming market.
—Kazuma Hashimoto, Rolling Stone, 17 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 17 Sep. 2025.
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