1
a
: taken and held as or as if a prisoner of war
b(1)
: kept within bounds : confined
(2)
: of or relating to captive animals
captive breeding
2
: held under control of another but having the appearance of independence
especially
: owned or controlled by another concern and operated for its needs rather than for an open market
a captive mine
3
: being such involuntarily because of a situation that makes free choice or departure difficult
a captive audience
plural captives
1
: one who has been captured : one taken and held usually in confinement
Something there is in us that finds captivity captivating, particularly when the captives are prisoners of war.—
David Murray
David MurrayHe said that while one of the war-boats was being made ready to take the captives into the lagoon, he and his sister left the camp quietly and got away in their canoe.—Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad2
: one captivated, dominated, or controlled
a captive to love
Unlike so many experts pronouncing on that subject today, though, he has never been a captive of a particular ideology or of a well-heeled interest group.—Uwe E. Reinhardt
Uwe E. ReinhardtCrescent City residents love their culinary customs—too much, according to some critics, who complain that the city's chefs are captives of the past.—Mitch Frank
Mitch FrankSynonyms
Examples of captive in a Sentence
Adjective
The captive soldiers planned their escape.
the captive soldiers were treated humanely by the guards
Noun
the captives in the concentration camp had devised a daring plan of escape
Recent Examples on the WebAamer Madhani, Chris Megerian, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 June 2024
The best zoos in the U.S. are known for going above and beyond to ensure animal welfare, protect endangered species, revive dwindling populations through captive breeding programs, and educate people on the plight of some of the world's rarest creatures.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 29 May 2024
Matthieu Aikins Victor J. Blue Peter Ganim Krish Seenivasan Steven Szczesniak, New York Times, 22 May 2024
More people than young lovers have been known to become captives of their cellphones.
—Jeanne Phillips, The Mercury News, 17 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for captive 
Adjective
Israel says around 100 hostages are still captive in Gaza, along with the bodies of around 30 more.
—Aamer Madhani, Chris Megerian, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 June 2024
The best zoos in the U.S. are known for going above and beyond to ensure animal welfare, protect endangered species, revive dwindling populations through captive breeding programs, and educate people on the plight of some of the world's rarest creatures.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 29 May 2024
Noun
Their scholars justified killing captives and civilians as necessary and legitimate in the jihad against foreign occupation.
—Matthieu Aikins Victor J. Blue Peter Ganim Krish Seenivasan Steven Szczesniak, New York Times, 22 May 2024
More people than young lovers have been known to become captives of their cellphones.
—Jeanne Phillips, The Mercury News, 17 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for captive
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'captive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near captive
Cite this Entry
“Captive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/captive. Accessed 8 Jun. 2024.
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