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Definition of "captive" []

  • One, such as a prisoner of war, who is forcibly confined, subjugated, or enslaved. (noun)
  • One held in the grip of a strong emotion or passion. (noun)
  • Taken and held prisoner, as in war. (adjective)
  • Held in bondage; enslaved. (adjective)
  • Kept under restraint or control; confined: captive birds. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "captive" in a sentence
  • "The bolt enters the skull and then retreats, and doesn't stay in the animal (thus the term captive)."
  • "Branson's company Virgin Galactic announced Monday that the VSS Enterprise had successfully completed what it called a captive carry flight attached to a carrier plane."
  • "VALDES-DAPENA: Normally, even in today's market, the automaker has an incentive, the automaker is what they call a captive finance arm, like GMAC or Toyota Motor Credit, has an incentive to try to get you the best deal, because they want to sell you a vehicle."