1
a
: a person held by one party in a conflict as a pledge pending the fulfillment of an agreement
b
: a person taken by force to secure the taker's demands
2
: one that is involuntarily controlled by an outside influence
Examples of hostage in a Sentence
The terrorists demanded a plane and a pilot in exchange for the hostages.
The hostage crisis is now entering its second week.
The passengers were taken hostage.
They were held hostage for several days.
Recent Examples on the Web
The new evacuation order comes as Israel and Hamas consider a new cease-fire proposal that would free a few dozen Israeli hostages, alive and dead, still being held in Gaza, and release hundreds of Palestinians prisoners held by Israel.
—
Lara Jakes, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Prosecutors said they were involved in holding a 28-year-old wealthy Italian cryptocurrency trader hostage for several weeks as part of a violent scheme to obtain his Bitcoin password, the Manhattan District Attorney said.
—John Miller, CNN Money, 30 May 2025
President Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, expressed optimism earlier this week about brokering an agreement to halt the Israel-Hamas war and return more of the hostages captured in the attack that ignited it.
—Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2025
Hamas still holds 58 hostages, with about one-third of them believed to be alive, according to The Associated Press.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hostage
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Lara Jakes, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Prosecutors said they were involved in holding a 28-year-old wealthy Italian cryptocurrency trader hostage for several weeks as part of a violent scheme to obtain his Bitcoin password, the Manhattan District Attorney said.
—John Miller, CNN Money, 30 May 2025
President Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, expressed optimism earlier this week about brokering an agreement to halt the Israel-Hamas war and return more of the hostages captured in the attack that ignited it.
—Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2025
Hamas still holds 58 hostages, with about one-third of them believed to be alive, according to The Associated Press.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hostage
Cite this Entry
“Hostage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hostage. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hostage
noun
hos·tage
ˈhäs-tij 
: a person held captive as a pledge that promises will be kept or terms met by another
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