Meaning
A person who is kept as a prisoner until other people do what the captors ask.
Test yourself on hostage
Three quick questions. No account needed.
Know this word? Create a free account to track it.
Word origin
From Old French hostage, a person handed over as a promise that an agreement would be kept.
- Origin
- Old French
- Root
- hostage
Other proposed origins
- Most accounts trace it to Late Latin obsidaticum, the condition of being held as security, from obses, a hostage. (obsidaticum)
- An older folk account links it to hoste, meaning guest or host, from Latin hospes. (hospes)
Examples
robbers .
"To take someone hostage" means to keep them as a prisoner.
.
"Released" means they were set free.
.
"To hold hostages" means to keep them and not let them go.
Where this fits
Add to review queue
Track this word in your spaced-repetition queue and be tested on it at the right interval.
Meet this word in a story
Every course has graded stories written only with words you have been taught, plus grammar drills, a games arcade and printable worksheets. Chapters 1 and 2 are free.
Chapters 1 and 2 free, forever. Plus: 7 days free, then $5 a month for all eleven languages.
English · Free printables
hostage: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the English word "hostage" (A person who is kept as a prisoner until other people do what the captors ask.): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
Free for members
The printable worksheets, infographics and PDFs are free with an account. Start a free week and download as many as you like.
Start your free weekThis word is taught in chapter 23, lesson 8: hostage, twist, highly and 7 more words.