Hostage meaning in English

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Definition

to take somebody hostage: to kidnap somebody, to take somebody captive or prisoner, to steal somebody noun
to hold, to keep someone hostage: to have, to maintain someone against their will until a demand is met idiom

Examples

  • "his hostage."
  • "In this case, you no longer possess the hostage."
  • "Rebels are demanding $4 billion in ransom and have threatened to remove the hostages' hairs one by one tomorrow morning."
  • "Edward : His hostage."
  • "Ivory Coast: three German tourists have been taken hostage!"
  • "Hannah : His hostage?"
  • "Then he'll hold you hostage."
  • "Bruno : Well, Dr. Badguy, I don't want to tell you how to do your job, but the basic requirement of any ransom negotiation is that the kidnappers have a hostage."
  • "I'm here because two European tourists - Dutch to be precise - have been taken hostage by pirates."
  • "Edward : And that he'll keep me hostage, until..."
  • "Edward : ...and that he'll keep me hostage, until..."
  • "Oh, one of the hostages seems to be injured!"
  • "Rupert : The pirates are demanding a ransom of $2 million for the safe return of the hostages, believed to be a couple in their thirties."
Exercise 1
Choose the TRUE statements from the list below.

There may be more than one correct answer!
Choose the TRUE statements from the list below.

There may be more than one correct answer!
Kevin tells Jean that the photo sent to him "could have been done by any five-year-old with software like Photoposh", he means that it is so simple to alter a photo with the right software, that EVEN a child could do it. There is no evidence that Vladimir has a five-year-old son.
Throughout this dialogue, Kevin warns Jean that Vladimir is planning to "rob" and "scam" him. Kevin believes that Vlad is trying to "extort" money from Jean. To extort money is to obtain it through intimidation, threats or coercion.
Kevin suggests that the photo sent by Vladimir is a "fake", then says that anyone with photo-editing software is capable of altering a photo. A "fake" is a counterfeit or false copy of something. Example: The Picasso I bought for 5 dollars in Las Vegas turned out to be a fake.
At the end of the dialogue, Kevin informs Jean that he could be held hostage by Vladimir. Jean never admits to this however. To hold someone hostage is to hold them prisoner in exchange for something.
Exercise 2
Listen to the audio, then fill in the blanks with the missing terms.
Rupert: I'm here because two European tourists - to be precise - have been by .
Listen to the audio, then fill in the blanks with the missing terms.
Rupert: I'm here because two European tourists - Dutch to be precise - have been taken hostage by pirates .

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