hold hostage

hold hostage
a) 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.
b) Any situation or leverage used to entrap or corner someone without physical restraint.
See Also: take hostage

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  • hold as a hostage — index confine Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • hold as hostage — index constrain (imprison) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • Hostage crisis — A crisis develops when one or more terrorists or criminals hold people against their will and try to hold off the authorities by force, threatening to kill the hostages if provoked or attacked. Typically, the party of the hostage taker(s) will… …   Wikipedia

  • hold — hold1 W1S1 [həuld US hould] v past tense and past participle held [held] ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(in your hand/arms)¦ 2¦(event)¦ 3¦(keep something in position)¦ 4¦(job/title)¦ 5¦(keep/store)¦ 6¦(keep something available for somebody)¦ 7¦(keep somebody… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • hostage — n. 1) to take smb. hostage 2) to seize, take hostages 3) to hold smb. (as a) hostage * * * [ hɒstɪdʒ] take hostages to hold smb. (as a) hostage to seize to take smb. hostage …   Combinatory dictionary

  • hostage */ — UK [ˈhɒstɪdʒ] / US [ˈhɑstɪdʒ] noun [countable] Word forms hostage : singular hostage plural hostages a person who is the prisoner of someone who threatens to kill them if they do not get what they want The President is making every effort to… …   English dictionary

  • hostage — hos|tage [ hastıdʒ ] noun count * a person who is the prisoner of someone who threatens to kill them if they do not get what they want: The President is making every effort to obtain the release of the hostages. take someone hostage: Six visiting …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • hostage — noun (C) 1 someone who is kept as a prisoner by an enemy so that the other side will do what the enemy demands: hold sb hostage (=keep someone as a hostage): The group are holding three western tourists hostage. | take sb hostage (=seize someone… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • hold — hold1 [ hould ] (past tense and past participle held [ held ] ) verb *** ▸ 1 carry ▸ 2 stop someone/something from moving ▸ 3 put arms around someone ▸ 4 (be able to) contain ▸ 5 have ▸ 6 continue in same state ▸ 7 keep/stop something ▸ 8 not… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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