captive

captive
[[t]kæ̱ptɪv[/t]]
captives
1) ADJ A captive person or animal is being kept imprisoned or enclosed. [LITERARY]

Her heart had begun to pound inside her chest like a captive animal.

Syn:
N-COUNT
A captive is someone who is captive.

He described the difficulties of surviving for four months as a captive.

2) ADJ: ADJ n A captive audience is a group of people who are not free to leave a certain place and so have to watch or listen. A captive market is a group of people who cannot choose whether or where to buy things.

We all performed action songs, sketches and dances before a captive audience of parents and patrons...

Airlines consider business travellers a captive market.

3) PHRASE: V inflects If you take someone captive or hold someone captive, you take or keep them as a prisoner.

Richard was finally released on February 4, one year and six weeks after he'd been taken captive...

Rebels in Liberia have released four foreigners after holding them captive for a week.


English dictionary. 2008.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • captive — cap‧tive [ˈkæptɪv] adjective [only before a noun] captive viewers or customers watch a company s advertisements or buy a company s products because they have no other choice: • Kids in the classroom are a captive audience to whom ads may seem a… …   Financial and business terms

  • Captive — Cap tive, a. 1. Made prisoner, especially in war; held in bondage or in confinement. [1913 Webster] A poor, miserable, captive thrall. Milton. [1913 Webster] 2. Subdued by love; charmed; captivated. [1913 Webster] Even in so short a space, my… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • captive — [adj1] physically held by force bound, caged, confined, enslaved, ensnared, imprisoned, incarcerated, incommunicado, in custody, jailed, locked up, penned, restricted, subjugated, under lock and key*; concepts 536,554 Ant. free, independent,… …   New thesaurus

  • captive — [kap′tiv] n. [L captivus < captus, pp. of capere, to take: see HAVE] 1. a person caught and held prisoner, as in war 2. a person who is captivated, as by beauty or love adj. 1. a) taken or held prisoner b) not able …   English World dictionary

  • Captive — Cap tive, n. [L. captivus, fr. capere to take: cf. F. captif. See {Caitiff}.] 1. A prisoner taken by force or stratagem, esp., by an enemy, in war; one kept in bondage or in the power of another. [1913 Webster] Then, when I am thy captive, talk… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Captive —   [ kæptɪv, englisch], von industriellen Versicherungsnehmern gegründete Einrichtung zur externen Selbstversicherung, die die Aufgabe hat, für konzerneigene Risiken Versicherungsschutz bereitzustellen. Dies erfolgt v. a. durch die Organisation… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • captivé — captivé, ée (ka pti vé, vée) part. passé. Tenu attaché et comme captif. Captivé par les sons d une musique délicieuse …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • Captive — Cap tive, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Captived}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Captiving}.] To take prisoner; to capture. [1913 Webster] Their inhabitans slaughtered and captived. Burke. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • captive — I noun bondman, bondsman, captivus, captured person, captus, convict, felon, helot, hostage, imprisoned person, incarcerated person, inmate, internee, one held in captivity, one held in confinement, one held in subjegation, pawn, person under… …   Law dictionary

  • captive — (n.) late 14c., from L. captivus caught, taken prisoner, from captus, pp. of capere to take, hold, seize (see CAPABLE (Cf. capable)). Replaced O.E. hæftling, from hæft taken, seized. As an adj., from early 15c …   Etymology dictionary

  • captive — n *prisoner …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

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