captivenoun [ C ]
uk/ˈkæp.tɪv/us/ˈkæp.tɪv/a person or animal whose ability to move or act freely is limited by being closed in a space; a prisoner, especially a person held by the enemy during a war:
When the town was recaptured, we found soldiers who had been captives for several years.
hold/take sb captive
to keep someone as a prisoner or make someone a prisoner:
The terrorists were holding several diplomats captive.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
People held in prison
- cellmate
- con
- convict
- detainee
- detenu
- gaolbird
- hostage
- inmate
- internee
- jailbird
- lag
- lifer
- political prisoner
- pow
- prisoner
- prisoner of conscience
- prisoner of war
captive
adjective ukus
captive soldiers