captive
Americannoun
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a prisoner.
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a person who is enslaved or dominated.
He is the captive of his own fears.
adjective
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made or held prisoner, especially in war.
captive troops.
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kept in confinement or restraint.
captive animals.
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enslaved by love, beauty, etc.; captivated.
her captive beau.
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of or relating to a captive.
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managed as an affiliate or subsidiary of a corporation and operated almost exclusively for the use or needs of the parent corporation rather than independently for the general public.
a captive shop;
a captive mine.
noun
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a person or animal that is confined or restrained, esp a prisoner of war
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a person whose behaviour is dominated by some emotion
a captive of love
adjective
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held as prisoner
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held under restriction or control; confined
captive water held behind a dam
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captivated; enraptured
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unable by circumstances to avoid speeches, advertisements, etc (esp in the phrase captive audience )
Other Word Forms
- noncaptive adjective
- pseudocaptive adjective
Etymology
Origin of captive
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English or directly from Middle French, from Latin captīvus, equivalent to capt(us) “taken” (past participle of capere “to take”) + -īvus adjective suffix ( -ive )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That nutrient is largely absent from the diets of captive chimps and from many modern human diets.
From Science Daily
Two years ago, Ranaan set up a tent in Tel Aviv's Hostages Square and began offering support to the families of the captives held in Gaza.
From Barron's
The remaining 30 captive belugas at Canada's Marineland have nothing to do but wait.
From Barron's
One inconsolable father, whose daughter is still being held captive, told BBC Hausa that his family had been crying non-stop and "it's hard to go back home and look at their faces".
From BBC
Twenty living hostages and the remains of 24 deceased captives have been released, with four bodies remaining in Gaza.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
