Meaning

5 senses

  1. A person given as a pledge or security for the performance of the conditions of a treaty or similar agreement, such as to ensure the status of a vassal.

    Geisel

    зало́жникzalóžnik, зало́жницаzalóžnica

    зару́чникzarúčnyk, зару́чницяzarúčnycja

  2. A person seized in order to compel another party to act (or refrain from acting) in a certain way, because of the threat of harm to the hostage.

  3. Something that constrains one's actions because it is at risk.

  4. One who is compelled by something, especially something that poses a threat; one who is not free to choose their own course of action.

  5. The condition of being held as security or to compel someone else to act or not act in a particular way.

More definitions
  • a prisoner who is held by one party to insure that another party will meet specified terms

Examples

168 sentences

  1. The hostages will be released before Christmas.

    Заручники будуть звільнені перед Різдвом. — shanghainese

    ruЗаложники будут освобождены перед Рождеством. — shanghainese

    deDie Geiseln werden vor Weihnachten freikommen. — Esperantostern

    CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · B2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  2. The criminal didn't let the hostages go.

    Злочинець не відпустив заручників. — deniko

    ruПреступник не отпустил заложников. — odexed

    deDer Verbrecher ließ die Geiseln nicht frei. — Manfredo

    CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · B2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  3. Tom was held hostage.

    Тома утримували в якості заручника. — deniko

    ruТома держали в заложниках. — marafon

    deTom wurde als Geisel gehalten. — Rekholder

    CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · B2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  4. They've got a hostage.

    У них є заручник. — deniko

    CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · B2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  5. I was held hostage.

    Мене тримали у заручниках. — deniko

    ruМеня держали в заложниках. — marafon

    CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · B2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

Translations

9 languages
Українська
By meaning 1
person given as a pledge or security:
Русский
By meaning 1
person given as a pledge or security:
Deutsch
By meaning 1
person given as a pledge or security:

Origin

From Middle English hostage, ostage, from Old French hostage, ostage. This, in turn, is ei

From Middle English hostage, ostage, from Old French hostage, ostage. This, in turn, is either from Old French hoste (“host”) + -age (in which case the sense development is from taking someone into "lodging" to taking them into "captivity", to applying the term to a captive), or is from Vulgar Latin obsidāticum (“condition of being held captive”), from Latin obses (“hostage, captive”), with the initial h- added under the influence of hoste or another word. Displaced native Old English ġīsl.

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

plural: hostages
Singularhostage
Pluralhostages

regular

Synonyms

1 synonyms
Close in meaning
  • a prisoner who is held by one party to insure that another party will meet specified terms:surety

Word family

9 related words
Derivedguestagehold hostagehostage diplomacyhostagehoodhostage negotiatorhostagerhostageshiphostage-takertake hostage

Collocations

6 patterns
  • being held hostage
  • held hostage
  • wasn't taken hostage
  • of the hostages
  • the hostages were
  • taken hostage

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
hospitalizationhospitalizeB2hostA2hostelB1hostessC1

Dictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.

hostage — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto