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Definition of hostage
1a : a person held by one party in a conflict as a pledge pending the fulfillment of an agreementb : a person taken by force to secure the taker's demands
2 : one that is involuntarily controlled by an outside influence
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Examples of hostage in a Sentence
The terrorists demanded a plane and a pilot in exchange for the hostages.
The hostage crisis is now entering its second week.
The passengers were taken hostage.
They were held hostage for several days.
Recent Examples of hostage from the Web
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Who is this Gaza fellow and why was the deli holding him hostage?
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Ana Lalley noted that the drone could be used in a variety of law enforcement situations including manhunts, searches for missing persons, warrant service, hostage or barricade incidents and accident and crime reconstruction.
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The rogue program initially appeared to be ransomware, a fast-growing and lucrative breed of malicious software that encrypts its victims' data and holds it hostage until a payment is made.
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Tuesday's massive outbreak of malware that shut down computers around the world has been almost universally blamed on ransomware, which by definition seeks to make money by unlocking data held hostage only if victims pay a hefty fee.
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When a North Dakota police department went to investigate a call about a hostage situation at a local Family Dollar store on Sunday, officers expected to find a man with a gun.
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The plight of Americans held hostage by reclusive foreign governments has gotten renewed attention since the death Monday of Otto F. Warmbier, a 22-year-old college student from Ohio who was arrested in North Korea in January 2016.
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Bergdahl was held hostage by the Taliban for five years before he was released in a 2014 prisoner exchange.
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The manhunt for Donnie Rowe and Ricky Dubose suddenly focused on Tennessee Thursday evening after the fugitives invaded a home in Shelbyville and held a man and his wife hostage for several hours.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hostage'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of hostage
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from hoste
HOSTAGE Defined for English Language Learners
hostage
playDefinition of hostage for English Language Learners
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: a person who is captured by someone who demands that certain things be done before the captured person is freed
HOSTAGE Defined for Kids
hostage
playDefinition of hostage for Students
: a person who is captured by someone who demands that certain things be done before the captured person is freed
Learn More about hostage
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Spanish Central: Translation of hostage Nglish: Translation of hostage for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of hostage for Arabic speakers
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