hostage
noun
a person given or held as security for the fulfillment of certain conditions or terms, promises, etc., by another.
hostages
-
pluralof hostage.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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.
Burns helped burnish Gannon’s credentials, personally telling the prince that the operative was the American in the room as Israel negotiated with Hamas to release its hostages in the aftermath of the Oct.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
By early Sunday morning, after additional stops in Newfoundland—where a portion of the hostages were released—and Iceland, the plane landed in Paris.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
Many of the hostages have now been released.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
He has urged the returned hostages to tell friends and family about their horrific experiences, he says, to discourage them from setting out on the same journey.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
“Wards, we always called them, when Winterfell demanded boys of us, but they were hostages, and none the worse for it.”
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
