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Synonyms

captor

American  
[kap-ter] / ˈkæp tər /

noun

  1. a person who has captured a person or thing.

captor British  
/ ˈkæptə /

noun

  1. a person or animal that holds another captive

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of captor

1640–50; < Late Latin, equivalent to cap ( ere ) to take + -tor -tor

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.

Ramia said officers initially seemed engaged with her case, but stopped taking her calls once they identified her captor.

From BBC • Feb. 17, 2026

The IAR said it took a year to persuade the bears' captor to agree to their release.

From BBC • Oct. 22, 2025

Under the fugitive slave laws, the burden of proof belonged not to the captor but to the captured.

From Slate • Jul. 28, 2025

Authorities have so far released few additional details about the deadly encounter, including whether they detained Becerra Moran’s alleged captor when they arrived.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2025

I stood my ground in front of my captor, keeping my gaze narrow and pinned on my reflection in his shades.

From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline

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.