captive
cap|tive /k'æptɪv/ (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.
[N-COUNT]
A captive is someone who is captive.
He described the difficulties of surviving for four months as a captive.
= prisoner
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...cap|tive breed|ing
[N-UNCOUNT]
Captive breeding is the breeding of wild animals in places such as zoos, especially animals which have become rare in the wild.
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.
[N-COUNT]
A captive is someone who is captive.
He described the difficulties of surviving for four months as a captive.
= prisoner
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...cap|tive breed|ing
[N-UNCOUNT]
Captive breeding is the breeding of wild animals in places such as zoos, especially animals which have become rare in the wild.