hostage

noun

hos·​tage ˈhä-stij 

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

Hours after hostage negotiators tried to contact that person no less than 60 times over the phone, an emergency response team entered the home. —Chris Pandolfo, Fox News, 20 June 2024

The firearms, the U.S. government said, were bought with the ransom proceeds of U.S. citizens taken hostage in Haiti. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 18 June 2024

Prince William and Royal Family Unite for Thomas Kingston's Funeral After His 'Shock' Death at Age 45 Kingston worked as a director at Davenport Capital, a financial firm in London and previously served as a hostage negotiator in Iraq. —Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 18 June 2024

The home where Tawfiq was killed was around 200 yards from the two civilian apartments where the four hostages were being held under armed Hamas guard. —Raf Sanchez, NBC News, 18 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English hostage, ostage, borrowed from Anglo-French, "lodging, residence, custody of a person held as security against fulfillment of an agreement, the person so held," from hoste "guest, host" + -age -age — more at host entry 1

Note: The peculiar sense shift apparently arose from the Old French use of hostage in verbal phrases such as prendre en hostage "to take in residence, lodge" in reference to the lodging of a person held as surety; the import of hostage was then transferred to the status of such a person, and finally to the actual person.

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing hostage

• a hostage to fortune
• hostage crisis

Kids Definition

hostage

noun

hos·​tage ˈhäs-tij 

: a person held captive as a pledge that promises will be kept or terms met by another