From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishhostagehos‧tage /ˈhɒstɪdʒ $ ˈhɑː-/ ●○○ noun [countable] 1 KEEP somebody IN A PLACEsomeone who is kept as a prisoner by an enemy so that the other side will do what the enemy demands → kidnap The group are holding two tourists hostage (=keeping them as hostages). a family taken hostage at gunpoint2 → be (a) hostage to something3 → a hostage to fortune
Examples from the Corpus
hostage• The government radio said 32 hostages had been released by 11 a. m., but that could not be confirmed.• An attempt to rescue the American hostages ended in disaster when a helicopter crashed.• When in residence, their occupants were under surveillance; when absent, they left their families as hostages.• We must exchange hostage for hostage.• They may then have been required to give hostages as a guarantee of future good behaviour.• A British journalist was held hostage for over four years.• For a politician to have a clear objective is to offer hostages to his opponents.• The medical team were captured and taken hostage.• Later, Cyrus and Poe must stop Johnny from raping a female prison official whom the prisoners have taken hostage.• The group has threatened to kill the hostages unless the government frees 15 political prisoners.• The terrorists say that they will kill the hostages if we don't agree to their demands.holding ... hostage• Paris children held hostage An masked man armed with a revolver is holding twenty-five children hostage in a nursery school in Paris.• Don Nickles, R-Okla. who is holding the bill hostage because Sen.• One is the extent of her familiarity with Nestor Cerpa Cartolini, the leader of the rebels holding the hostages.• She smiled, holding me hostage with her piercing eyes.• He then called 911 to tell police he was holding the hostages.Origin hostage (1200-1300) Old French hoste; → HOST1 