hostage: Meaning and Definition of

hos•tage

Pronunciation: (hos'tij), [key]
— n., v., -taged, -tag•ing.
—n.
  1. a person given or held as security for the fulfillment of certain conditions or terms, promises, etc., by another.
  2. a security or pledge.
  3. the condition of a hostage.
—v.t.
  1. to give (someone) as a hostage: He was hostaged to the Indians.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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