Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense ransoms, present participle ransoming, past tense, past participle ransomed
1. variable noun
A ransom is the money that has to be paid to someone so that they will set free a person they have kidnapped.
Her kidnapper successfully extorted a £175,000 ransom for her release.
The president has said this country will never pay ransom for the hostages.
The ransom demand was made by telephone.
Synonyms: payment, money, price, payoff More Synonyms of ransom
2. verb
If you ransom someone who has been kidnapped, you pay the money to set them free.
The same system was used for ransoming or exchanging captives. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: buy the freedom of, release, deliver, rescue More Synonyms of ransom
3.
See to hold someone to ransom
4.
See hold sb to ransom
5.
See a king's ransom
More Synonyms of ransom
ransom in British English
(ˈrænsəm)
noun
1.
the release of captured prisoners, property, etc, on payment of a stipulated price
2.
the price demanded or stipulated for such a release
3.
rescue or redemption of any kind
4. hold to ransom
5. a king's ransom
verb(transitive)
6.
to pay a stipulated price and so obtain the release of (prisoners, property, etc)
7.
to set free (prisoners, property, etc) upon receiving the payment demanded
8.
to redeem; rescue
to be ransomed from sin
Derived forms
ransomer (ˈransomer)
noun
Word origin
C14: from Old French ransoun, from Latin redemptiō a buying back, redemption
Ransom in British English
(ˈrænsəm)
noun
John Crowe. 1888–1974, US poet and critic
Ransom in American English
(ˈrænsəm)
John Crowe (kroʊ) 1888-1974; U.S. poet & critic
ransom in American English
(ˈrænsəm)
noun
1.
the redeeming or release of a captive or of seized property by paying money or complying with other demands
2.
the price thus paid or demanded
3.
deliverance from sin; redemption
verb transitive
4.
to obtain the release of (a captive or property) by paying the demanded price
5. Rare
to release after such payment
6.
to deliver from sin; redeem
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈrescue
Derived forms
ransomer (ˈransomer)
noun
Word origin
ME raunson < OFr raençon < L redemptio, redemption
More idioms containing
ransom
a king's ransom
hold someone to ransom
Examples of 'ransom' in a sentence
ransom
And we are going to ask your family and big friends to pay a $2m ransom.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Other forms of attack include shutting companies' systems down and demanding a ransom to get them working again.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
A €100,000 ransom note had been issued.
The Sun (2016)
She could only hope that he could somehow contrive to rescue or ransom them.
Kathleen E. Woodiwiss THE WOLF AND THE DOVE
All three have denied paying ransom money.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Perhaps the end is nigh for the oil producers who hold us to ransom over prices.
The Sun (2009)
They were freed after a ransom was paid.
The Sun (2011)
This is biblical scholarship conveyed in the format of the ransom note.
The Times Literary Supplement (2011)
She was only released when a ransom was paid.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Its coffers are flush from ransom payments.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
How would you advise other hostages and potential hostages about ransom issues?
Christianity Today (2000)
All three governments have publicly denied paying ransom money.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
It is not known if their employers paid a ransom to free them.
The Sun (2006)
No video has emerged and no ransom or political demands have been made.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Britain is refusing to pay a ransom.
The Sun (2010)
He is alleged to have made tens of millions of dollars in ransom payments.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
There is no human arithmetic that can sensibly make a life less prized than the price of a ransom.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
They forget that there are people out there who paid a king 's ransom to come and see them.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The robbers want a 100,000 ransom.
The Sun (2010)
We certainly lived the high life, without the king 's ransom.
The Sun (2015)
In other languages
ransom
British English: ransom /ˈrænsəm/ NOUN
A ransom is money that is demanded as payment for the return of someone who has been kidnapped.
The kidnappers are demanding a ransom of five million pounds.
American English: ransom
Arabic: فِدْيَة
Brazilian Portuguese: resgate
Chinese: 赎金
Croatian: otkupnina
Czech: výkupné
Danish: løsesum
Dutch: losgeld
European Spanish: rescate secuestro
Finnish: lunnaat
French: rançon
German: Lösegeld
Greek: λύτρα
Italian: riscatto
Japanese: 身代金
Korean: 몸값
Norwegian: løsepenger
Polish: okup
European Portuguese: resgate
Romanian: răscumpărare
Russian: выкуп
Latin American Spanish: rescate
Swedish: lösensumma
Thai: ค่าไถ่ตัว
Turkish: fidye
Ukrainian: викуп
Vietnamese: tiền chuộc
British English: ransom VERB
If you ransom someone who has been kidnapped, you pay the money to set them free.
The same system was used for ransoming or exchanging captives.
American English: ransom
Brazilian Portuguese: pagar o resgate de um refém
Chinese: 赎出
European Spanish: pagar un rescate
French: payer une rançon
German: auslösen
Italian: pagare il riscatto per far liberare
Japanese: 身代金を払って助け出す
Korean: 몸값을 치르고 되찾다
European Portuguese: pagar o resgate de um refém
Latin American Spanish: pagar un rescate
All related terms of 'ransom'
hold to ransom
to keep ( prisoners , property, etc) in confinement until payment for their release is made or received
a king's ransom
If you refer to a sum of money as a king's ransom , you are emphasizing that it is very large.
hold sb to ransom
If you say that someone is holding you to ransom in British English , or holding you for ransom in American English, you mean that they are using their power to try to force you to do something which you do not want to do.
to hold someone for ransom
If a kidnapper is holding a person for ransom , they keep that person prisoner until they are given what they want .
to hold someone to ransom hold sb for ransom, hold sb ransom
If a kidnapper is holding someone to ransom or holding them ransom in British English , or is holding a person for ransom in American English, they keep that person prisoner until they are given what they want .
Chinese translation of 'ransom'
ransom
(ˈrænsəm)
n(c/u)
(= money) 赎(贖)金 (shújīn) (笔, bǐ)
to hold to ransom[hostage etc]勒取赎(贖)金 (lèqǔ shújīn) (fig)[nation, company]要挟 (yāoxié)
1 (noun)
Definition
the money demanded in return for the release of someone who has been kidnapped
The demand for the ransom was made by telephone.
Synonyms
payment
money
price
a sharp increase in the price of petrol
What's the price on that one?
payoff
payoffs from corrupt businesses
2 (noun)
the eventual ransom of the victim
Synonyms
release
the secret negotiations necessary to secure the release of the hostages
rescue
the rescue of the crew of a ship
liberation
Passover recalls the liberation from slavery in Egypt.
redemption
offering redemption from our sins
deliverance
their sudden deliverance from war
(verb)
Definition
to pay money to obtain the release of (a prisoner)
The same system was used for ransoming or exchanging captives.
Synonyms
buy the freedom of
release
He was released from custody the next day.
deliver
Mercifully, I was delivered from that pain.
rescue
Helicopters rescued nearly 20 people.
liberate
How committed is the leadership to liberating its people from poverty?
buy (someone) out (informal)
redeem
a new female spiritual force to redeem the world
set free
obtain or pay for the release of
Additional synonyms
in the sense of deliver
Definition
to release or rescue (from captivity or danger)
Mercifully, I was delivered from that pain.
Synonyms
release,
free,
save,
rescue,
loose,
discharge,
liberate,
acquit,
redeem,
ransom,
emancipate
in the sense of deliverance
their sudden deliverance from war
Synonyms
release,
rescue,
liberation,
salvation,
redemption,
ransom,
emancipation
in the sense of liberate
Definition
to release (a country) from enemy occupation
How committed is the leadership to liberating its people from poverty?
Synonyms
free,
release,
rescue,
save,
deliver,
discharge,
redeem,
let out,
set free,
let loose,
untie,
emancipate,
unchain,
unbind,
manumit
Synonyms of 'ransom'
ransom
Explore 'ransom' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of liberation
Passover recalls the liberation from slavery in Egypt.
Synonyms
freeing,
release,
freedom,
liberty,
liberating,
redemption,
emancipation,
deliverance,
manumission,
enfranchisement,
unshackling,
unfettering
in the sense of payoff
Definition
a bribe
payoffs from corrupt businesses
Synonyms
bribe,
incentive,
cut (informal),
payment,
sweetener (informal),
bung (British, informal),
inducement,
kick-back (informal),
backhander (informal),
hush money (informal)
in the sense of price
Definition
the amount of money for which a thing is bought or sold
a sharp increase in the price of petrolWhat's the price on that one?
Synonyms
cost,
value,
rate,
charge,
bill,
figure,
worth,
damage (informal),
amount,
estimate,
fee,
payment,
expense,
assessment,
expenditure,
valuation,
face value,
outlay,
asking price
in the sense of redeem
a new female spiritual force to redeem the world
Synonyms
save,
free,
deliver,
rescue,
liberate,
ransom,
set free,
extricate,
emancipate,
buy the freedom of,
pay the ransom of
in the sense of redemption
Definition
deliverance from sin through the incarnation and death of Christ
offering redemption from our sins
Synonyms
salvation,
release,
rescue,
liberation,
ransom,
emancipation,
deliverance
in the sense of rescue
Definition
the act or an instance of rescuing
the rescue of the crew of a ship
Synonyms
saving,
salvage,
deliverance,
extrication,
release,
relief,
recovery,
liberation,
salvation,
redemption
in the sense of rescue
Definition
to bring (someone or something) out of danger or trouble