hostage

noun

hos·​tage ˈhä-stij How to pronounce hostage (audio)
1
a
: a person held by one party in a conflict as a pledge pending the fulfillment of an agreement
b
: a person taken by force to secure the taker's demands
2
: one that is involuntarily controlled by an outside influence

Examples of hostage in a Sentence

The terrorists demanded a plane and a pilot in exchange for the hostages. The hostage crisis is now entering its second week. The passengers were taken hostage. They were held hostage for several days.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The video was released by Hamas in what hostage families described as psychological terror. — Bianna Golodryga, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026 That includes Hawley’s hostage-recovery drama series The Envoy, which is in development at HBO Max. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026 Hawley also created Netflix’s spy thriller The Recruit and is currently developing The Envoy, a hostage drama inspired by a 2024 Vanity Fair story by Adam Ciralsky (who is an executive producer), at HBO Max. — Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 25 Aug. 2026 Rachel and her husband Jon worked tirelessly to bring Hersh and the other hostages home, but on the 328th day of his captivity, Hersh was executed in a tunnel in Gaza. — Will Croxton, CBS News, 23 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hostage

Word History

Etymology

Middle English hostage, ostage, borrowed from Anglo-French, "lodging, residence, custody of a person held as security against fulfillment of an agreement, the person so held," from hoste "guest, host" + -age -age — more at host entry 1

Note: The peculiar sense shift apparently arose from the Old French use of hostage in verbal phrases such as prendre en hostage "to take in residence, lodge" in reference to the lodging of a person held as surety; the import of hostage was then transferred to the status of such a person, and finally to the actual person.

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of hostage was in the 13th century

Phrases Containing hostage

Browse Nearby Words

hosta
hostage
hostage crisis
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hostage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hostage. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

hostage

noun
hos·​tage ˈhäs-tij How to pronounce hostage (audio)
: a person held captive as a pledge that promises will be kept or terms met by another
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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