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
Recent Examples on the WebYasmeen Serhan, TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
Months after he was taken captive, his son received a Telegram message from an unknown number with a picture of the old man.
—Kostiantyn Khudov, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
Huskins was held captive for two days and raped twice by her kidnapper.
—Nicole Acosta, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
In December, hostages released by Hamas during a temporary cease-fire recounted that they had been held captive inside one of Gaza's hospitals.
—Ruth Marks Eglash, Fox News, 30 Mar. 2024
With lamentable lack of skill at anything besides posing for photos at the Dolphin Mall, Izzy sets out to find a sidekick and is drawn to an unexpected ally: Lolita, the Miami Seaquarium’s captive orca.
—Connie Ogle, Miami Herald, 29 Feb. 2024
The two victims, Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker, were brutalized while held captive and handcuffed during a two-hour ordeal that started when the six officers invaded their home and ended with Mr. Jenkins shot in the mouth.
—Brendan O'Brien and Steve Gorman, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Mar. 2024
Since its blockbuster debut, the show has published seasons telling the stories of Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, a soldier who was held captive by the Taliban and then charged with desertion, and of the ordinary events at a courthouse in Cleveland.
—Ariel Shapiro, The Verge, 12 Mar. 2024
Additionally, Israel cannot bring an end to the conflict in Gaza as long as Israeli hostages are held captive there.
—Amos Yadlin, Foreign Affairs, 8 Mar. 2024
Matthew Continetti, National Review, 6 Apr. 2024
Hamas and other militants are still holding around 100 hostages and the remains of about 30 more, after releasing most other captives during a November cease-fire.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 2 Mar. 2024
Har says the guards did not harass anyone physically, but the captives were most afraid for the 17-year-old girl.
—Daniel Estrin, NPR, 5 Apr. 2024
The administration then pressed for longer-term truce proposals, including the 10-day halt in fighting during which women and children captives were exchanged.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2024
In the new series, a despondent Grimes is a captive in a bleak metropolis ruled by a military police force called the Civic Republic Military, or CRM.
—Greg Braxton, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024
Anyone who saw the final scene from the original series — which served as a preview for The Ones Who Live — knows that Rick is currently a captive of the Civic Republic Military.
—EW.com, 13 Feb. 2024
At the peak of its power, the group controlled an area the size of Britain, and systematically killed or enslaved members of the Yazidi religious minority, carried out torture and mass killings, and filmed gruesome videos of the executions of its captives, including Westerners.
—Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2024
Mental anguish frequently spliced with the physical pain of near-constant hunger, with captives forced to self-ration a combination of small Red Cross parcels — containing canned food, powdered milk and other items — and camp meals, formed mostly of stodgy bread and thin broth.
—Jack Bantock, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024
Adjective
For Rachel Goldberg-Polin, the call is personal: her 23-year-old son, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, is counted among the Israelis still being held captive.
—Yasmeen Serhan, TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
Months after he was taken captive, his son received a Telegram message from an unknown number with a picture of the old man.
—Kostiantyn Khudov, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
Huskins was held captive for two days and raped twice by her kidnapper.
—Nicole Acosta, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
In December, hostages released by Hamas during a temporary cease-fire recounted that they had been held captive inside one of Gaza's hospitals.
—Ruth Marks Eglash, Fox News, 30 Mar. 2024
With lamentable lack of skill at anything besides posing for photos at the Dolphin Mall, Izzy sets out to find a sidekick and is drawn to an unexpected ally: Lolita, the Miami Seaquarium’s captive orca.
—Connie Ogle, Miami Herald, 29 Feb. 2024
The two victims, Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker, were brutalized while held captive and handcuffed during a two-hour ordeal that started when the six officers invaded their home and ended with Mr. Jenkins shot in the mouth.
—Brendan O'Brien and Steve Gorman, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Mar. 2024
Since its blockbuster debut, the show has published seasons telling the stories of Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, a soldier who was held captive by the Taliban and then charged with desertion, and of the ordinary events at a courthouse in Cleveland.
—Ariel Shapiro, The Verge, 12 Mar. 2024
Additionally, Israel cannot bring an end to the conflict in Gaza as long as Israeli hostages are held captive there.
—Amos Yadlin, Foreign Affairs, 8 Mar. 2024
Noun
Hamas brutalizes children, abuses captives, steals food, fires its rockets indiscriminately, wears no uniforms, and hides behind schools, hospitals, and mosques.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 6 Apr. 2024
Hamas and other militants are still holding around 100 hostages and the remains of about 30 more, after releasing most other captives during a November cease-fire.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 2 Mar. 2024
Har says the guards did not harass anyone physically, but the captives were most afraid for the 17-year-old girl.
—Daniel Estrin, NPR, 5 Apr. 2024
The administration then pressed for longer-term truce proposals, including the 10-day halt in fighting during which women and children captives were exchanged.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2024
In the new series, a despondent Grimes is a captive in a bleak metropolis ruled by a military police force called the Civic Republic Military, or CRM.
—Greg Braxton, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024
Anyone who saw the final scene from the original series — which served as a preview for The Ones Who Live — knows that Rick is currently a captive of the Civic Republic Military.
—EW.com, 13 Feb. 2024
At the peak of its power, the group controlled an area the size of Britain, and systematically killed or enslaved members of the Yazidi religious minority, carried out torture and mass killings, and filmed gruesome videos of the executions of its captives, including Westerners.
—Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2024
Mental anguish frequently spliced with the physical pain of near-constant hunger, with captives forced to self-ration a combination of small Red Cross parcels — containing canned food, powdered milk and other items — and camp meals, formed mostly of stodgy bread and thin broth.
—Jack Bantock, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'captive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near captive
Cite this Entry
“Captive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/captive. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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