hostagenoun [ C ]
uk/ˈhɒs.tɪdʒ/us/ˈhɑː.stɪdʒ/C2 someone who is taken as a prisoner by an enemy in order to force the other people involved to do what the enemy wants:
She was taken/held hostage by the gunmen.
The terrorists have seized 20 hostages and are threatening to kill one a day unless their demands are met.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
People held in prison
- captive
- cellmate
- con
- convict
- detainee
- detenu
- gaolbird
- inmate
- internee
- jailbird
- lag
- lifer
- political prisoner
- pow
- prisoner
- prisoner of conscience
- prisoner of war
Idiom(s)
hostage to fortune