From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcaptivecap‧tive1 /ˈkæptɪv/ adjective 1 KEEP somebody IN A PLACEkept in prison or in a place that you are not allowed to leave captive soldiers captive animals His son had been taken captive (=became a prisoner) during the raid. a pilot who was held captive (=kept as a prisoner) for six years2 → captive audience3 → captive market4 → be captive to something
Examples from the Corpus
captive• While the camps remain, the villagers are themselves captive.• the breeding of captive animals• Her captive breeding programmes are being attempted.• The outcome of these behaviours in a captive colony is the formation of one-male groups similar to those found in the wild.• Just how essential this help can be was documented over 18 years by a researcher studying these animals in a captive environment.• For that reason, modern nation-states are free to unleash devastating reprisals against their captive nations who attempt liberation.• What white woman, however lonely, was ever captive or insulted by me?• Not that socially imposed monogamy need extend to captive slaves.held captive• Work out the answers to these questions: Where were the Athenians held captive?• I am being held captive by Simon Butcher, the society photographer.• Little wonder patients held captive by their immobility were fearful.• She had been physically hurt when she was dragged from the villa and she had been held captive ever since.• A gun's been recovered after the latest attack, in which a store manager was held captive for six hours.captivecaptive2 noun [countable] KEEP somebody IN A PLACEsomeone who is kept as a prisoner, especially in a warExamples from the Corpus
captive• Captors and captives stood in dumb impatience for the roll-call to be finished.• By night he is a prisoner, the last captive of Tangentopoli.• Beginners are not captives of their past; they are eager to learn, and able to learn.• Would he spare the lives of captives?• Armed gunmen broke into the church and took the priest captive.• But what pleasure to be left hanging as the sticky captive in the center of the silvery web!• All the captives were kept in a darkened room with their hands tied.• In many different cultures the captives taken in war have tended to be women rather than men.• They had gone into a huddle, obviously discussing their captives.• The rebels promise to release their captives unharmed if their demands are met.• The rebels promised to release their captives unharmed if the government did as they said.From Longman Business Dictionarycaptivecap‧tive /ˈkæptɪv/ adjective [only before a noun] captive viewers or customers watch a company’s advertisements or buy a company’s products because they have no other choiceKids in the classroom are a captive audience to whom ads may seem a welcome break from studies.Companies exporting to Third World countries often get a captive market for their goods.Origin captive1 (1400-1500) Latin captivus, from captus, past participle of capere “to take” 