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- DictionaryCap·tive/ˈkaptiv/
noun
- 1. a person who has been taken prisoner or an animal that has been confined: "the captives were freed after the kidnappers told them a ransom had been paid"
adjective
- 1. imprisoned or confined: "the farm was used to hold prisoners of war captive"
a person or animal whose ability to move or act freely is limited by being kept in a space; a prisoner, especially a person held by the enemy during a war: When the town was recaptured, we found soldiers who had been captives for several years. hold/take someone captive. to keep someone as a prisoner or make someone a prisoner:
1. Taken and held prisoner, as in war. 2. Held in bondage; enslaved. 3. Kept under restraint or control; confined: captive birds. 4. Enraptured, as by beauty; captivated. 5. Restrained by circumstances that prevent free choice: a captive audience; a captive market. 6. Serving a single company exclusively: a captive insurer.
A captive is something that has been captured and can’t escape, like a prisoner of war or a panda in a zoo. To be captured on the battlefield, and held captive is not so great, but captive doesn’t always describe things that are completely bad, like its synonym, hostage.
adjective. /ˈkæptɪv/. /ˈkæptɪv/. kept as a prisoner or in a space that you cannot get out of; unable to escape. captive animals. They were taken captive by masked gunmen. captive breeding (= the breeding of wild animals in zoos, etc.) She was held captive in a castle. Oxford Collocations Dictionary.
3 days ago · 1. adjective. A captive person or animal is being kept imprisoned or enclosed . [literary] Her heart had begun to pound inside her chest like a captive animal. Synonyms: confined, caged, imprisoned, locked up More Synonyms of captive. A captive is someone who is captive. He described the difficulties of surviving for four months as a captive.
a group of people who have to watch something or have to buy something because they do not have a choice. hold/take sb captive. to keep someone as a prisoner, or make someone a prisoner: They were held captive by rebels for 32 days. captive. noun [ C ] uk / ˈkæptɪv / us. someone who is kept as a prisoner.
noun. /ˈkæptɪv/ a person who is kept as a prisoner, especially in a war. Talks have persuaded the terrorists to set the captives free. The terrorists will only release their captives if they get what they want. Their king was now a captive in Talleyrand’s chateau. Oxford Collocations Dictionary. Word Origin. Want to learn more?
