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.
Peace may not be an option, because their prison guard is former Bowser captive Lumalee.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
You’re captive at the festival and you can’t bring food in with you.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
In an interview, Det Supt Ian Fletcher, from Gloucestershire Police, said Wixon had managed to keep K captive so long because she was "very, very manipulative" towards her own family.
From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026
José María Zuloaga gathers a motley outfit of army irregulars—it includes released Native American prisoners and a sharpshooting nun—to pursue the captive.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026
But beyond the hedge, Mundín had run into a captive audience.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
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.
