Search results
- Dictionarycaptive/ˈkaptɪv/
noun
- 1. a person who has been taken prisoner or an animal that has been confined: "the captives were freed after the kidnappers told them a ransom had been paid"
adjective
- 1. imprisoned or confined: "the farm was used to hold prisoners of war captive"
- 2. (of a facility or service) controlled by, and typically for the sole use of, an organization: "a captive power plant"
Powered by Oxford Dictionaries
Learn the meaning of captive as a noun and an adjective, with examples of usage and synonyms. Find out how captive can refer to a prisoner, a person or animal kept in a space, or a customer with limited choice.
a person or animal whose ability to move or act freely is limited by being kept 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 someone captive. to keep someone as a prisoner or make someone a prisoner:
The meaning of CAPTIVE is taken and held as or as if a prisoner of war. How to use captive in a sentence.
Captive is a noun meaning a prisoner or a person who is enslaved or dominated. It can also be an adjective meaning kept in confinement or restraint, or relating to a subsidiary of a corporation. See the origin, history, and usage of captive.
kept as a prisoner or in a space that you cannot get out of; unable to escape. captive animals. They were taken captive by masked gunmen. captive breeding (= the breeding of wild animals in zoos, etc.) She was held captive in a castle. Oxford Collocations Dictionary. Want to learn more?
6 meanings: 1. a person or animal that is confined or restrained, esp a prisoner of war 2. a person whose behaviour is.... Click for more definitions.
A captive is something that has been captured and can’t escape, like a prisoner of war or a panda in a zoo. To be captured on the battlefield, and held captive is not so great, but captive doesn’t always describe things that are completely bad, like its synonym, hostage.
CAPTIVE definition: 1. A captive person or animal is being kept somewhere and is not allowed to leave. 2. a group of…. Learn more.
Learn the meaning of captive as an adjective and a noun, with examples from the corpus and business contexts. Find out how to use captive to describe someone or something that is kept in prison or in a place that you are not allowed to leave.
n. 1. a person or animal that is confined or restrained, esp a prisoner of war. 2. a person whose behaviour is dominated by some emotion: a captive of love. adj. 3. held as prisoner. 4. held under restriction or control; confined: captive water held behind a dam. 5. captivated; enraptured.