hostage

American  

[hos-tij] / ˈhɒs tɪdʒ /

noun

• hostages
  plural

1. a person given or held as security for the fulfillment of certain conditions or terms, promises, etc., by another.

2. Archaic. a security or pledge.

3. Obsolete. the condition of a hostage.

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verb (used with object)

hostaged, hostaging

1. to give (someone) as a hostage.

   He was hostaged to the Indians.

hostage British  

/ ˈhɒstɪdʒ /

noun

1. a person given to or held by a person, organization, etc, as a security or pledge or for ransom, release, exchange for prisoners, etc

2. the state of being held as a hostage

3. any security or pledge

4. to place oneself in a position in which misfortune may strike through the loss of what one values most

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• hostageship
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• hostages
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hostage

1225–75; Middle English < Old French hostage ( h- by association with ( h ) oste host ² ), ostage ≪ Vulgar Latin *obsidāticum state of being a hostage < Latin obsid- (stem of obses ) hostage (equivalent to ob- ob- + sid- sit ¹ ) + -āticum -age

Explanation

A hostage is a prisoner taken by kidnappers and held until the kidnappers get whatever they’re asking for. If you refuse to empty the litter box, your roommate might take your cat as a hostage until you clean it. When hostages are taken, the hostage-takers often ask for ransom, which is money paid for the hostages. The funny thing about the movie Dog Day Afternoon is that when the bank robbers take hostages, the hostages don’t really want to leave because they sympathize with the robbers. People who take hostages might have other demands too. Unfortunately, hostages are not just in the movies, they’re abducted in real life for political and personal reasons.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hostage hostages hostaging

Acled said this includes commanders involved in planning the Hamas-led 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the war and killed around 1,200 people with 251 taken hostage.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

One especially noteworthy moment in the 23-minute segment came when Tapper asked if Miller had held his daughter’s blue bunny — which she needs to sleep — hostage.

From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2026

It seems like every industry is being held hostage by artificial intelligence.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

You never actually give the hostage taker his airplane, and Americans know that best of all.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

Stark’s eldest son would have followed him as Lord of Winterfell, but Sansa would have stayed at court, a hostage.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

Ratcliffe has had some success dealing with the Kremlin, such as in helping secure the release of American hostages in Russia, U.S. officials said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

After 56 days, the remaining 44 hostages were released.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

The first phase saw the release of all remaining hostages taken during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

“Once he became Middle East envoy and was given responsibility for the hostages, he became one of the most famous people in Israel overnight,” an Israeli journalist who has covered him told me.

From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026

Harry sped toward the hostages, half expecting the merpeople to lower their spears and charge at him, but they did nothing.

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling

On the other hand, John Donvan conceded that there is a limit to living in the past—to hostaging yourself, for instance, to outdated agreements and other generations’ crimes.

From Slate ● Jan. 11, 2012

Q. Have you expressed that view of hostaging to President Bush?

From Time Magazine Archive

In their minds, hostaging means trading -- and trading means talking.

From Time Magazine Archive

Related Words

• captive
• prisoner
• victim