captive

American  

[kap-tiv] / ˈkæp tɪv /

noun

• captives
  plural

1. a prisoner.

2. a person who is enslaved or dominated.

   He is the captive of his own fears.

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adjective

1. made or held prisoner, especially in war.

   captive troops.

2. kept in confinement or restraint.

   captive animals.

3. enslaved by love, beauty, etc.; captivated.

   her captive beau.

4. of or relating to a captive.

5. 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.

captive British  

/ ˈkæptɪv /

noun

1. a person or animal that is confined or restrained, esp a prisoner of war

2. a person whose behaviour is dominated by some emotion

   a captive of love

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adjective

1. held as prisoner

2. held under restriction or control; confined

   captive water held behind a dam

3. captivated; enraptured

4. unable by circumstances to avoid speeches, advertisements, etc (esp in the phrase captive audience )

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noncaptive
  adjective
• pseudocaptive
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• captives
  plural

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 ( see -ive)

Explanation

A captive is something that has been captured and can’t escape, like a prisoner of war or a panda in a zoo. To be captured on the battlefield, and held captive is not so great, but captive doesn’t always describe things that are completely bad, like its synonym, hostage. If you fall in love you might say your heart is being held captive. Ideas that entrance you could be called captivating. Sometimes endangered animals are brought into captivity in order to breed larger populations, and then released into the wild.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

captive captives

By placing a tether around captive moths and projecting stars on the wall, researchers last year showed how Bogongs used the Milky Way.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

"It's hard for people to know – or rather not to know – what has happened to their loved ones, whether they're being held captive or have died, and where they died," he said.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

In a separate order, the top court on Tuesday ordered tighter welfare safeguards for India's more than 2,600 captive elephants, including ensuring medical records for each animal and regular health checks.

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026

I got bangs once before, months into leaving home for college, and rather than feel captive behind my hair, I felt most myself.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

In fact, Malcolm was still aching and a little dizzy, but the thought of lounging in the cave while Lyra was captive was too horrible to bear.

From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman

One sculpture transforms the European hero Robin Hood into an African bandit queen who raided slave traders and freed their captives.

From Salon ● Apr. 26, 2026

Thomas Broughton’s vivid text zeroes in on the last days of the hero Hercules, who returns victorious from war with a string of captives.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026

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 ● Nov. 28, 2025

Twenty living hostages and the remains of 24 deceased captives have been released, with four bodies remaining in Gaza.

From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2025

Despite the odds, many captives tried to free themselves, and there were a number of revolts, particularly when the vessel was anchored on the African coast.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

Related Words

• detainee
• hostage
• prisoner
• prisoner of war
• slave