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 FrankExamples 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
Kerem Inal, ABC News, 26 May 2025
The Associated Press reported that the victim was held captive for not giving up his Bitcoin password.
—Raven Brunner, People.com, 25 May 2025
CNN Money, 26 May 2025
It is believed that militants are holding 58 captives, around a third of whom are believed to be alive.
—Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for captive
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Adjective
There are still 58 hostages held captive by Hamas, 20 of whom are presumed to be alive.
—Kerem Inal, ABC News, 26 May 2025
The Associated Press reported that the victim was held captive for not giving up his Bitcoin password.
—Raven Brunner, People.com, 25 May 2025
Noun
The comments from Levy come as the families of Israeli captives held in Gaza intensify their criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and as Israel comes under growing pressure to end the war in Gaza.
—CNN Money, 26 May 2025
It is believed that militants are holding 58 captives, around a third of whom are believed to be alive.
—Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for captive
Cite this Entry
“Captive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/captive. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
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