hostage
noun [C] /ˈhɒs.tɪdʒ/
/ˈhɑː.stɪdʒ/ Definition
C2 someone who is taken as a prisoner by an enemy in order to force the other people involved to do what the enemy wants: She was taken/held hostage by the gunmen. The terrorists have seized 20 hostages and are threatening to kill one a day unless their demands are met.People held in prison
(Definition of hostage noun from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press)
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