ransom
the redemption of a prisoner or kidnapped person, of captured goods, etc., for a price.
the sum or price paid or demanded.
a means of deliverance or rescue from punishment for sin, especially the payment of a redemptive fine.
to redeem from captivity, bondage, detention, etc., by paying a demanded price.
to release or restore on receipt of a ransom.
to deliver or redeem from punishment for sin.
Origin of ransom
1synonym study For ransom
Other words for ransom
Other words from ransom
- ran·som·er, noun
- un·ran·somed, adjective
Other definitions for Ransom (2 of 2)
John Crowe [kroh], /kroʊ/, 1888–1974, U.S. poet, critic, and teacher.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use ransom in a sentence
An organization that is able to rapidly restore or recreate its data is far better positioned to fend off demands for ransom.
The hacker ‘ceasefire’ with hospitals is over—and that should terrify us | jakemeth | December 9, 2020 | FortuneBy targeting providers with attacks that scramble and lock up data until victims pay a ransom, hackers can demand thousands or millions of dollars and wreak havoc until they’re paid.
Hospitals fighting COVID face another challenge: Hackers | Verne Kopytoff | December 5, 2020 | FortuneA follow-up letter was strikingly like the ransom letter for the Beit paintings that would be sent a few weeks later.
‘The Woman Who Stole Vermeer’ revisits the strange tale of a British heiress who became a notorious art thief | Katharine Weber | November 20, 2020 | Washington PostIt’s a type of malware that hackers use to restrict access to data or machines until they’re paid ransoms that can run into the tens of millions of dollars.
How officials are protecting the election from ransomware hackers | Bobbie Johnson | October 15, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewSpecifically, he could trigger the coffee maker to turn on the burner, dispense water, spin the bean grinder, and display a ransom message, all while beeping repeatedly.
This Week’s Awesome Tech Stories From Around the Web (Through October 3) | Singularity Hub Staff | October 3, 2020 | Singularity Hub
The earl was killed in battle and Marshal captured, but he would later be ransomed by the queen herself.
England’s Greatest Knight Puts ‘Game of Thrones’ to Shame | William O’Connor | December 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut further operations against Scotland were postponed till Hereford and the other prisoners of note could be ransomed home.
King Robert the Bruce | A. F. MurisonHe had been ransomed by the sweat of no vulgar agony, by the blood of no earthly sacrifice.
English: Composition and Literature | W. F. (William Franklin) WebsterBy the exertion of friends he was ransomed after a years captivity and made his way through Spain and France to England.
A short history of Rhode Island | George Washington GreeneWould you be grateful to one who had ransomed you from slavery under a bitter foe, or who brought you out of captivity?
Aids to Reflection | Samuel Taylor ColeridgeAt length the captives were taken to the French, and after some trouble and delay, ransomed for six hundred livres.
The Indian: On the Battle-Field and in the Wigwam | John Frost
British Dictionary definitions for ransom (1 of 2)
/ (ˈrænsəm) /
the release of captured prisoners, property, etc, on payment of a stipulated price
the price demanded or stipulated for such a release
rescue or redemption of any kind
hold to ransom
to keep (prisoners, property, etc) in confinement until payment for their release is made or received
to attempt to force (a person or persons) to comply with one's demands
a king's ransom a very large amount of money or valuables
to pay a stipulated price and so obtain the release of (prisoners, property, etc)
to set free (prisoners, property, etc) upon receiving the payment demanded
to redeem; rescue: Christ ransomed men from sin
Origin of ransom
1Derived forms of ransom
- ransomer, noun
British Dictionary definitions for Ransom (2 of 2)
/ (ˈrænsəm) /
John Crowe . 1888–1974, US poet and critic
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with ransom
see king's ransom.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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