ransom

¹

[ran-suhm]

noun

1. the redemption of a prisoner or kidnapped person, of captured goods, etc., for a price.

   Synonyms: release, liberation, deliverance

2. the sum or price paid or demanded.

3. a means of deliverance or rescue from punishment for sin, especially the payment of a redemptive fine.

verb (used with object)

1. to redeem from captivity, bondage, detention, etc., by paying a demanded price.

2. to release or restore on receipt of a ransom.

3. to deliver or redeem from punishment for sin.

Ransom

²

[ran-suhm]

noun

1. John Crowe 1888–1974, U.S. poet, critic, and teacher.

ransom

¹

/ ˈrænsəm /

noun

1. the release of captured prisoners, property, etc, on payment of a stipulated price

2. the price demanded or stipulated for such a release

3. rescue or redemption of any kind

4. 1. to keep (prisoners, property, etc) in confinement until payment for their release is made or received

   2. to attempt to force (a person or persons) to comply with one's demands

5. a very large amount of money or valuables

verb

1. to pay a stipulated price and so obtain the release of (prisoners, property, etc)

2. to set free (prisoners, property, etc) upon receiving the payment demanded

3. to redeem; rescue

   Christ ransomed men from sin

Ransom

²

/ ˈrænsəm /

noun

1. John Crowe . 1888–1974, US poet and critic

Other Word Forms

• ransomer noun
• unransomed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ransom¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of ransom¹

C14: from Old French ransoun , from Latin redemptiō a buying back, _redemption

Idioms and Phrases

see king's ransom.

Synonym Study

See redeem.

Example Sentences

Even after the hostages are ransomed, Israeli soldiers will remain in more than half of Gaza, including by the Egyptian border to stop weapons smuggling.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It was, they suggested, an attempt to extort a ransom from the company by infecting its networks with malicious software.

Read more on BBC

The criminals also contacted parents directly with threatening phone calls whilst trying to get their ransom paid.

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They would steal data or install malicious software and hold my employer to ransom and I would secretly get a cut.

Read more on BBC

Hackers holding pictures and private data of thousands of nursery children and their families to ransom say they will publish more information online unless they are paid.

Read more on BBC

When To Use

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.