hostage

/'hɔstidʤ/

Thân thiện

A negotiator speaks calmly to the hostage on the phone.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A person held as security: A hostage is a person who is seized or held by one party, typically to compel another party to act in a certain way, such as meeting demands or terms.
   • A pledge or guarantee: In a broader, often figurative sense, a hostage can be something given or held as a security or guarantee for the fulfillment of an agreement.

Usage

• The primary use is to describe a person who is captured and detained to force concessions (e.g., payment, prisoner release, political actions) from a government, organization, or individual.
• It is commonly used in contexts of crime, terrorism, warfare, and negotiations.
• The word is often used with verbs like , , , , and .

Examples

• Noun:
  • The terrorists took three diplomats as hostages.
  • He was held hostage for over a year before being released.
  • The agreement requires the exchange of hostages as a guarantee of peace.

Advanced Usage

• "A hostage to fortune": A person or thing that is vulnerable to misfortune or unpredictable circumstances because of a commitment or situation.
  • By making such a bold promise, he gave his critics a hostage to fortune.
• "Hostage situation": A specific incident where one or more hostages are being held, often requiring a negotiated resolution.
  • Police negotiators were called to the hostage situation at the bank.

Variants and Related Words

• Hostage-taker (n): A person or group that seizes and holds hostages.
  • The hostage-takers issued a list of demands.
• Hostage-taking (n): The act of seizing and holding hostages.
  • The act of hostage-taking is condemned under international law.

Synonyms

• Captive: A person who has been taken prisoner, especially in war.
• Prisoner: A person captured and kept confined.
• Pawn: (Figurative) A person used by others for their own purposes, similar to being a tool in a larger scheme.

Related Phrases

• To hold someone hostage: To detain someone as a hostage.
  • The rebels threatened to hold the villagers hostage unless their leader was freed.
• To be held hostage to something: (Figurative) To be constrained or controlled by a particular situation or factor.
  • The project's success was held hostage to the unreliable weather.

Idioms

• A hostage to fortune: As mentioned in advanced usage, this idiom refers to a person, promise, or possession that makes one vulnerable to future misfortune or chance.
  • Having such a valuable but fragile antique is a hostage to fortune.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a prisoner who is held by one party to insure that another party will meet specified terms

Từ đồng nghĩa

• surety