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
As for the three other captives, Caldwell says at least two remain deeply scarred to this day.
—
Namir Khaliq, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Alejandra, a Spanish-language radio DJ who had for years posted community events, news, and real-time weather alerts on her Facebook page, Explosion Latina NOLA, was now helping relatives of ICE’s captives navigate its detainee database.
—Daniel Brook, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Immediately upon regaining control of the lowlands of São Tomé, the Portuguese dedicated scarce manpower and equipment to the resumption of sugar cultivation, the repair of the mills, and the terrorizing of new shipments of captives.
—Literary Hub, 19 Mar. 2026
Assets were frozen, sanctions were threatened, UN resolutions were passed, but still the captives remained imprisoned.
—Bill Keane, Hartford Courant, 15 Mar. 2026
The exhibit addresses the Middle Passage, an especially fraught part of the Atlantic Ocean crossing where many of the captives died.
—Arkansas Online, 13 Mar. 2026
The São José, a Portuguese vessel bound for Brazil with more than 400 captives from Mozambique, struck a rock and sank in December 1794 off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa.
—ABC News, 12 Mar. 2026
But women were among the captives who survived the Middle Passage.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 8 Mar. 2026
In Empire City, when a hostage crisis erupts inside New York’s landmark Clybourn Building, former Navy SEAL turned firefighter Rhett (Butler), his squad, and his NYPD wife Dani (Hayley Atwell) must fight and navigate their way through the building to rescue the captives.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 3 Mar. 2026
Namir Khaliq, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Alejandra, a Spanish-language radio DJ who had for years posted community events, news, and real-time weather alerts on her Facebook page, Explosion Latina NOLA, was now helping relatives of ICE’s captives navigate its detainee database.
—Daniel Brook, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Immediately upon regaining control of the lowlands of São Tomé, the Portuguese dedicated scarce manpower and equipment to the resumption of sugar cultivation, the repair of the mills, and the terrorizing of new shipments of captives.
—Literary Hub, 19 Mar. 2026
Assets were frozen, sanctions were threatened, UN resolutions were passed, but still the captives remained imprisoned.
—Bill Keane, Hartford Courant, 15 Mar. 2026
The exhibit addresses the Middle Passage, an especially fraught part of the Atlantic Ocean crossing where many of the captives died.
—Arkansas Online, 13 Mar. 2026
The São José, a Portuguese vessel bound for Brazil with more than 400 captives from Mozambique, struck a rock and sank in December 1794 off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa.
—ABC News, 12 Mar. 2026
But women were among the captives who survived the Middle Passage.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 8 Mar. 2026
In Empire City, when a hostage crisis erupts inside New York’s landmark Clybourn Building, former Navy SEAL turned firefighter Rhett (Butler), his squad, and his NYPD wife Dani (Hayley Atwell) must fight and navigate their way through the building to rescue the captives.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 3 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captives
prisoners
Noun
-
Shailin managed to refer some families to human-rights groups that advocate for prisoners in Iran.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Far-right Israeli politicians celebrated the passage through parliament of a new law that allows execution by hanging, but effectively only for Palestinian prisoners.—
Kevin Collier,
NBC news,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Captives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captives. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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