1
a
: taken and held as or as if a prisoner of war
b(1)
: kept within bounds : confined
(2)
: of or relating to captive animals
captive breeding
2
: held under control of another but having the appearance of independence
especially
: owned or controlled by another concern and operated for its needs rather than for an open market
a captive mine
3
: being such involuntarily because of a situation that makes free choice or departure difficult
a captive audience
plural captives
1
: one who has been captured : one taken and held usually in confinement
Something there is in us that finds captivity captivating, particularly when the captives are prisoners of war.—
David Murray
David MurrayHe said that while one of the war-boats was being made ready to take the captives into the lagoon, he and his sister left the camp quietly and got away in their canoe.—Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad2
: one captivated, dominated, or controlled
a captive to love
Unlike so many experts pronouncing on that subject today, though, he has never been a captive of a particular ideology or of a well-heeled interest group.—Uwe E. Reinhardt
Uwe E. ReinhardtCrescent City residents love their culinary customs—too much, according to some critics, who complain that the city's chefs are captives of the past.—Mitch Frank
Mitch FrankSynonyms
Examples of captive in a Sentence
Adjective
The captive soldiers planned their escape.
the captive soldiers were treated humanely by the guards
Noun
the captives in the concentration camp had devised a daring plan of escape
Recent Examples on the Web
Nidal Al-Mughrabi, USA TODAY, 25 Oct. 2024
Venom and a host of other symbiotes held captive at Area 51 manage to stop Knull’s army of monstrous alien Xenophages from acquiring the Codex.
—Richard Newby, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2024
Sarah El Deeb and Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2024
That's especially proven in season 2, when — after coming clean to her team about holding Sir captive — Gabi's closest allies turn their backs on her.
—Dave Quinn, People.com, 10 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for captive 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
New ceasefire push The escalation came as the United States pushed for a new effort to reach a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, that would end the war and see the release of Israeli and foreign hostages held captive in Gaza as well as many Palestinians jailed by Israel.
—Nidal Al-Mughrabi, USA TODAY, 25 Oct. 2024
Venom and a host of other symbiotes held captive at Area 51 manage to stop Knull’s army of monstrous alien Xenophages from acquiring the Codex.
—Richard Newby, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2024
Noun
Around 100 captives are still being held in Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead.
—Sarah El Deeb and Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2024
That's especially proven in season 2, when — after coming clean to her team about holding Sir captive — Gabi's closest allies turn their backs on her.
—Dave Quinn, People.com, 10 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for captive
Dictionary Entries Near captive
Cite this Entry
“Captive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/captive. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share