The meaning of CAPTIVE is taken and held as or as if a prisoner of war. How to use captive in a sentence.

CAPTIVE definition: 1. a person or animal whose ability to move or act freely is limited by being kept in a space; a…. Learn more.

CAPTIVE definition: a prisoner. See examples of captive used in a sentence.

A captive person or animal is being kept imprisoned or enclosed. Her heart had begun to pound inside her chest like a captive animal. A captive is someone who is captive. He described the difficulties of …

2. Held in bondage; enslaved. 3. Kept under restraint or control; confined: captive birds. 4. Enraptured, as by beauty; captivated. 5. Restrained by circumstances that prevent free choice: a captive …

Definition of captive adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. kept as a prisoner or in a space that you cannot get out of; unable to escape. They were taken captive by masked gunmen. …

of or pertaining to a captive. managed as an affiliate or subsidiary of a corporation and operated almost exclusively for the use or needs of the parent corporation rather than independently for the general …

A captive is a person, animal, or object that is confined or held under control by another; this could be as a prisoner, a pet in a cage, or a thing unable to move or be moved freely.

Jan 21, 2026 · Noun captive (plural captives) One who has been captured or is otherwise confined.

captive definition: person or animal confined, especially a prisoner. Check meanings, examples, usage tips, pronunciation, domains, and related words. Discover expressions like "captive audience", …