Definition

Noun: A person who is seized or held by a party in a conflict, used as a bargaining tool to compel certain actions, such as compliance with demands, payment of ransom, or political concessions. The term implies captivity under threat.

Usage Examples

• (The terrorists took five people hostage.)
• (The negotiation to free the hostages lasted for many days.)
• (He became a hostage during the bank robbery.)

Advanced Usage

• "Làm con tin" / "Bị bắt làm con tin": To be taken hostage.

  • Các phi hành gia có nguy cơ bị bắt làm con tin. (The astronauts were at risk of being taken hostage.)

• Used metaphorically to describe a person or entity trapped in a situation and used as leverage.

  • Cô ấy cảm thấy mình như một con tin trong cuộc hôn nhân tồi tệ đó. (She felt like a hostage in that bad marriage.)

Variants and Related Words

• Con tin chính trị (n): Political hostage.
• Con tin sống (n): Living hostage (emphasizing a person, as opposed to an object held as collateral).

Synonyms

• Hostage: The direct and most common equivalent.
• Captive: A person who has been taken prisoner, especially in a war or conflict, though not always with the specific bargaining connotation.
• Pawn: Emphasizes being used as a tool in a larger scheme, similar to the metaphorical use.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Trao trả con tin: To hand over or release hostages.

  • Điều kiện đầu tiên là trao trả tất cả con tin. (The first condition is the release of all hostages.)

• Lấy ai/cái gì làm con tin: To use someone/something as a hostage or bargaining chip.

  • Họ lấy dân thường làm con tin. (They used civilians as hostages.)

noun

1. Hostage
   • bị giữ làm con tin
     to be detained as a hostage