hold hostage
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English
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[edit]Verb
[edit]hold hostage (third-person singular simple present holds hostage, present participle holding hostage, simple past and past participle held hostage)
- To hold as hostage.
- To have possession or custody of (a person) as security for performance against a treaty, a pledge, or a demand, especially now an extra-legal demand.
- To seek advantage in a situation by threatening the well-being or success of (a person or thing not directly involved in the situation).
- 1996, Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates […] [1]:
- Mr. President, when someone holds up this bill and holds it hostage, it is holding hostage the money that would go to aid victims of disaster.
- 2012, Andrew Clyde Little, Wheeler's Wake Volume II: A Biographical Novel[2], volume 2, page 189:
- Plans for the resumption of her nursery school were put on hold, held hostage by the polio epidemic.
- (computer science, of a hacker or malware) To sabotage (a computer) with intent to blackmail the owner.
- To hold in custody or use for any advantage.
- 2009, Brian R. Johnson, Brian Kingshott, Safe Overseas Travel: Maximizing Enjoyment by Minimizing Risk[3]:
- That way, a taxidriver cannot hold the traveler's luggage hostage in the trunk for more money.
Related terms
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References
[edit]- “hold hostage”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
- “hold hostage”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.