captive audience

Idioms  

1. Listeners or onlookers who have no choice but to attend. For example, It's a required course and, knowing he has a captive audience, the professor rambles on endlessly. This expression, first recorded in 1902, uses captive in the sense of “unable to escape.”

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Example Sentences

The streaming wars peaked during the pandemic, with Americans a captive audience for two years.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

“If we go for a walk, he’s a captive audience, but it’s been below zero here. So sometimes, I’ll interrupt ‘Jeopardy,’” she said.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 10, 2026

As played by Hawke, Hart adores holding court, entertaining his captive audience with witty put-downs and gossipy Broadway anecdotes.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 17, 2025

Mr Coatsworth said these shops "benefit from a captive audience allowing the company to generate strong margins".

From BBC • Aug. 21, 2025

“Don’t feel bad, friends.We couldn’t have said no to what they asked us to do,” Bruce said, slowly raising his eyes to gaze at his captive audience again.

From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner