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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All of this has been lavishly funded by money from sanctions relief, unfrozen assets, and $400 million surreptitiously delivered to Iran in January 2016 in exchange for five American hostages.
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Many of us feel like hostages to a society that seemingly cares more about gun rights than punishing those who kill unarmed or legally armed people of color.
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R Kelly has been holding women hostage against their will, according to an explosive article by Buzzfeed published Monday.
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Since 2016, the joint task force has killed around 830 Boko Haram militants and freed more than 20,500 hostages in the region.
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A man with an assumption of status briefly held an entire lobby hostage.
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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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A 1 ½ month later, less than 100 gunmen were still holed up in four neighborhoods with more than 100 civilian hostages, according to the military.
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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