hostage
noun
hos·tage ˈhä-stij 
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
Example Sentences
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 On Wednesday, two hostage situations at different banks took place in Beirut. 
Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN, 16 Sep. 2022 Yet this week’s outcome almost guarantees that next time the railroads and the unions will be even less likely to reach terms without taking the economy and the occupant of the White House hostage. Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, 16 Sep. 2022 Friday's meeting was scheduled before news broke this week of an unconnected trip to Russia by Bill Richardson, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who has been a veteran emissary in hostage and detainee cases. Eric Tucker, Chron, 15 Sep. 2022 Friday’s meeting was scheduled before news broke this week of an unconnected trip to Russia by Bill Richardson, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who has been a veteran emissary in hostage and detainee cases. Eric Tucker, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2022 The gas allowed the agents to enter and kill the Chechen militants who had taken hundreds of people hostage, but the powerful narcotic also killed more than 100 of the hostages. Jeanne Whalen, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2022 Bill Richardson, an international hostage negotiation and former United Nations ambassador, recently traveled to Moscow to free the two, but the State Department this week urged private citizens not to get involved in negotiations. ABC News, 15 Sep. 2022 Richardson, who also served as the governor of New Mexico from 2003 to 2011, runs an organization that negotiates for prisoner and hostage releases called The Richardson Center for Global Engagement. Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 15 Sep. 2022 Friday's meetings were scheduled before news broke this week of an unconnected trip to Russia by Bill Richardson, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who has been a veteran emissary in hostage and detainee cases. Eric Tucker, ajc, 15 Sep. 2022 See More
Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN, 16 Sep. 2022 Yet this week’s outcome almost guarantees that next time the railroads and the unions will be even less likely to reach terms without taking the economy and the occupant of the White House hostage. Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, 16 Sep. 2022 Friday's meeting was scheduled before news broke this week of an unconnected trip to Russia by Bill Richardson, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who has been a veteran emissary in hostage and detainee cases. Eric Tucker, Chron, 15 Sep. 2022 Friday’s meeting was scheduled before news broke this week of an unconnected trip to Russia by Bill Richardson, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who has been a veteran emissary in hostage and detainee cases. Eric Tucker, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2022 The gas allowed the agents to enter and kill the Chechen militants who had taken hundreds of people hostage, but the powerful narcotic also killed more than 100 of the hostages. Jeanne Whalen, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2022 Bill Richardson, an international hostage negotiation and former United Nations ambassador, recently traveled to Moscow to free the two, but the State Department this week urged private citizens not to get involved in negotiations. ABC News, 15 Sep. 2022 Richardson, who also served as the governor of New Mexico from 2003 to 2011, runs an organization that negotiates for prisoner and hostage releases called The Richardson Center for Global Engagement. Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 15 Sep. 2022 Friday's meetings were scheduled before news broke this week of an unconnected trip to Russia by Bill Richardson, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who has been a veteran emissary in hostage and detainee cases. Eric Tucker, ajc, 15 Sep. 2022 See More 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 3
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
Phrases Containing hostage
Kids Definition
hostage
noun
hos·tage ˈhä-stij
: a person who is captured by someone who demands that certain things be done before the captured person is freed