as in prisoners
one that has been taken and held in confinement
the captives in the concentration camp had devised a daring plan of escape
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Recent Examples of captives
Adams argued that the captives had the right of due process.
—
Time, 24 Sep. 2025
Our first field shoot was appropriately enough to visit released hostages and families of captives of Hamas.
—Greg Palkot, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2025
There were slaves and there were captives in the West.
—Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
The regulatory environment at the state level, where insurance is regulated, continues to evolve and support growth in the use of captives.
—Jason Phillips, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
The proposal Hamas has accepted stipulates a temporary 60-day ceasefire, during which the Israeli army would relocate to allow the entry of humanitarian aid, while half of the 50 Israeli captives would be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners within the same time frame, Al-Jazeera reported.
—Amira El-Fekki, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
On Friday, some of the hostage families said they were briefed by Israeli military officials that the operation could risk the captives’ lives.
—Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
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
By nightfall, Liat and Aviv were captives in Gaza along with 250 other people – 12 of whom, like Liat, were American citizens.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025
Time, 24 Sep. 2025
Our first field shoot was appropriately enough to visit released hostages and families of captives of Hamas.
—Greg Palkot, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2025
There were slaves and there were captives in the West.
—Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
The regulatory environment at the state level, where insurance is regulated, continues to evolve and support growth in the use of captives.
—Jason Phillips, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
The proposal Hamas has accepted stipulates a temporary 60-day ceasefire, during which the Israeli army would relocate to allow the entry of humanitarian aid, while half of the 50 Israeli captives would be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners within the same time frame, Al-Jazeera reported.
—Amira El-Fekki, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
On Friday, some of the hostage families said they were briefed by Israeli military officials that the operation could risk the captives’ lives.
—Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
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
By nightfall, Liat and Aviv were captives in Gaza along with 250 other people – 12 of whom, like Liat, were American citizens.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captives
prisoners
Noun
-
Along with alleged abuse by guards, the documentary exposes alarming living conditions for prisoners who are stacked in barracks like cord wood.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
25 Sep. 2025
-
To put my name down would bother the man, and the prisoners who organized these events knew this.—
John J. Lennon
September 24,
Literary Hub,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Captives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captives. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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