ransom
noun
the redemption of a prisoner or kidnapped person, of captured goods, etc., for a price.
ransom
1 American
[ran-suhm]
/ ˈræn səm /
noun
-
ransoms
plural
-
the redemption of a prisoner or kidnapped person, of captured goods, etc., for a price.
- Synonyms:
- release, liberation, deliverance
-
the sum or price paid or demanded.
-
a means of deliverance or rescue from punishment for sin, especially the payment of a redemptive fine.
verb (used with object)
-
ransoms,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ransomed,
past participle, past
-
ransoming
present participle
-
to redeem from captivity, bondage, detention, etc., by paying a demanded price.
-
to release or restore on receipt of a ransom.
-
to deliver or redeem from punishment for sin.
Ransom
2
American
[ran-suhm]
/ ˈræn səm /
noun
ransom
1
British
/ ˈrænsəm /
noun
-
the release of captured prisoners, property, etc, on payment of a stipulated price
-
the price demanded or stipulated for such a release
-
rescue or redemption of any kind
-
-
to keep (prisoners, property, etc) in confinement until payment for their release is made or received
-
to attempt to force (a person or persons) to comply with one's demands
-
-
a very large amount of money or valuables
verb
-
to pay a stipulated price and so obtain the release of (prisoners, property, etc)
-
to set free (prisoners, property, etc) upon receiving the payment demanded
-
to redeem; rescue
Christ ransomed men from sin
Ransom
2
British
/ ˈrænsəm /
noun
ransom
Idioms
Usage
What does ransom mean? A ransom is the money or goods demanded to be paid in exchange for the release of a captured or kidnapped person or piece of property. Ransom also commonly refers to the amount of money that the captor demands. It can also refer to such an exchange or the act of releasing a person or property for a price, as in The duke’s ransom depended on his wife gathering all the money demanded. Ransom can also be used as a verb meaning to get a person or property released by paying a price, as in I had to ransom my toy from the bully for $10. It can also mean to release a captive after receiving a ransom, as in Each prisoner was ransomed for $500. Less commonly, ransom can be used in a religious context to mean to redeem or deliver someone from punishment for sin, as Christians believe Jesus did. A person who holds someone in exchange for a ransom is called a ransomer. Ransomware is software that is illegally put on a computer and prevents users from accessing their data without paying a ransom. Example: The kidnapper demanded a hefty ransom before he released the princess to her father.
Synonym Usage
See redeem.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
ransomsimple
-
ransomssimple
-
have ransomedperfect
-
has ransomedperfect
-
am ransomingprogressive
-
are ransomingprogressive
-
is ransomingprogressive
-
have been ransomingperfect progressive
-
has been ransomingperfect progressive
Past
-
ransomedsimple
-
had ransomedperfect
-
was ransomingprogressive
-
were ransomingprogressive
-
had been ransomingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ransom
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English noun ranso(u)n, rançoun, from Old French rançon, reançon from Late Latin redēmptiōn- (stem of redēmptiō ) redemption; verb derivative of the noun
Explanation
If you’re ever kidnapped, you’d probably be worth millions in ransom. Ransom is the money demanded for the release of a captive. You’ve probably heard the phrase “held for ransom.” That means someone has been captured and is being held prisoner until a sum of money is delivered to the captors. Ransom can refer to the money paid, but it can also be a verb that describes paying for the release of someone being held. If you have to ransom your best friend, that means you’re paying his captors to release him.
Vocabulary lists containing ransom
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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All About Sam
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Raymie Nightingale
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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.
See Examples For:
It’s not a king’s ransom, but hey, it’s free money.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
When one of Christopher’s cohorts is kidnapped and held for ransom, he and the former princess Anya Argen embark on a desperate quest to complete the kidnappers’ challenges and win their friend’s safety.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
It would take a huge offer to persuade them otherwise and Manchester United's powerbrokers have proved on numerous occasions this summer they will not be held to ransom, or overpay, for players.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Ramírez secured a large ransom payment, but the death of al-Azmarly seems to have soured the terrorist’s relationship with Libya’s dictator, Moammar Gadhafi.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
The fairy had saved both their lives and yet he insisted on holding her to ransom.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
“It’s important to get out of the way of the business. Stop being the owner. Get out of their hair and find something else to do,” said Ransom, who volunteers with the U.S.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026
Ransom, who will leave the company after 12 years at the helm, expressed confidence in delivering a 2026 performance in line with market expectations despite uncertainty due to recent geopolitical events.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026
"Ransom is an obvious incentive for the group," explained Héni Nsaibia, Acled's West Africa senior analyst.
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2026
Ransom payments for hostages is a sensitive topic.
From Barron's ● Nov. 26, 2025
A great football, track, and baseball star, Sam Ransom, traveled all the way from Minneapolis to sign up with the Eighth, and a track star, Binga Dismond, left his medical school studies to enlist.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
Law enforcement organisations tell extortion victims not to pay ransoms as it fuels the criminal ecosystem.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
It was definitely not cheap paying off these pirates, whether it was ransoms or tariffs.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
Paying ransoms has been made illegal in Nigeria, although there are allegations this ban has been widely ignored.
From BBC ● Nov. 29, 2025
Police advise not to pay ransoms as it further fuels the cyber-crime ecosystem.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2025
"Knights and lordlings, they take each other captive and pay ransoms, but they don't care if the likes of you yield or not."
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
King Richard was captured on his way back from the Middle East and ransomed for 150,000 silver marks—approximately three times the annual income of the English Crown.
From Barron's ● Mar. 19, 2026
After two were released for medical reasons and three others ransomed by a third party for an undisclosed amount, the remaining 12 went free Dec. 16 after what they described as an overnight escape.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 14, 2022
He was eventually freed, returned to Gambia, and ransomed fellow Muslims who were enslaved.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 18, 2021
“On one side was the Kenyan state that harassed and ransomed the refugees with impunity,” Mr. Rawlence writes, when he finally indulges the metaphor in full.
From New York Times ● Jan. 11, 2016
Her cousins would be ransomed too, as would Tris Botley and a few more of her company, those whose kin had coin enough to buy them back.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
The Talmud, a set of commentaries on the Torah, specifically condones ransoming of hostages as a communal responsibility, and many ancient scholars considered being hostage a fate worse than death.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 4, 2023
Experts say the trend towards ransoming sensitive private information could affect companies not just operationally but through reputation damage.
From BBC ● Mar. 30, 2021
Beric also promises to reunite Arya with her mother and brother in Riverrun, albeit by ransoming her off.
From The Verge ● Apr. 25, 2019
Simone’s situation sounds dramatic enough to hold an episode of “Homeland” — in fact, the ransoming of Carrie Mathison’s top-secret computer files drove a plot point on the Showtime series last season.
From Fox News ● Oct. 12, 2018
Some of the poor creatures were already dead, some had escaped, or had passed to other owners, but Mr. Porter succeeded in ransoming the rest.
From Chatterbox, 1906 by J. Erskine (John Erskine) Clarke
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.
