as in saving
to free from captivity or punishment by paying a price
the prince emptied the treasury to ransom his son from the kidnappers
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Recent Examples of ransoming
Abu Sayyaf was particularly notorious for kidnapping and ransoming foreigners.
—
Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 17 Dec. 2025
Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 17 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ransoming
Verb
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Aether enthusiasts contorted themselves in knots attempting to explain this null result while still saving the notion of the aether itself.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
7 May 2026
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Patrick Kestler, a gang expert who has been following Jones and Gorman throughout their storied rap careers, analyzing their lyrics, saving their Instagram posts, and even searching through Gorman’s phone after he was arrested last year on suspicion of possessing ammunition as a felon in Stockton.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
7 May 2026
Verb
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He was twice awarded the commissioner’s unit citation — for saving the lives of multiple residents during a six-alarm fire in 1998, and for rescuing several people trapped in a bus with severe roof damage in 2013.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
2 May 2026
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What started out as a drug investigation resulted in Joliet police rescuing several hens, roosters and baby chicks from two men believed to have used some of the animals for fighting, authorities said.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ransoming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ransoming. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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