as in internment
the act of confining or the state of being confined
the wildlife refuge raises endangered species in captivity and then releases them into the wild
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Recent Examples of captivity
Fifty-eight of those hostages remain in Hamas captivity, but only 25 are believed to still be alive 535 days later, including American hostage Edan Alexander.
—
Caitlin McFall, Fox News, 25 Mar. 2025
The man reportedly told investigators that he was discouraged from trying to break free from captivity through intimidation tactics that included the constant threat of longer lockdowns and less food, according to the warrant affidavit.
—Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2025
An American was freed from Afghanistan on Thursday after more than two years in Taliban captivity in a deal brokered by Qatar.
—Abigail Williams, NBC News, 20 Mar. 2025
Last week, Israel ended a two-month-old ceasefire by resuming bombing and ground operations, increasing pressure on Hamas to free the remaining hostages in its captivity.
—Reuters, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for captivity
Caitlin McFall, Fox News, 25 Mar. 2025
The man reportedly told investigators that he was discouraged from trying to break free from captivity through intimidation tactics that included the constant threat of longer lockdowns and less food, according to the warrant affidavit.
—Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2025
An American was freed from Afghanistan on Thursday after more than two years in Taliban captivity in a deal brokered by Qatar.
—Abigail Williams, NBC News, 20 Mar. 2025
Last week, Israel ended a two-month-old ceasefire by resuming bombing and ground operations, increasing pressure on Hamas to free the remaining hostages in its captivity.
—Reuters, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for captivity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captivity
Noun
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None of the internment camp players made it to Major League Baseball, but George Omachi, who played for the Denson All-Stars at the Jerome War Relocation Center in Denson, Arkansas, eventually became a scout for the league.—
Rachel Ng,
Smithsonian Magazine,
27 Mar. 2025
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More than 100,000 people of Japanese decent were sent to internment camps, which the federal government formally apologized for in 1988.—
Nicole Brown Chau,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Even more experience abuse leading up to their incarceration.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
3 Apr. 2025
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The gang started as an organizing structure for men imprisoned during a period of mass incarceration that began under former President Hugo Chavez, Hanson told USA TODAY.—
Will Carless,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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And so, Diana stayed behind, idly waiting out her period of confinement while the museum was rebuilt around her.—
Alex Greenberger,
ARTnews.com,
26 Mar. 2025
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Top executives settled as well, including one who was sentenced to home confinement as part of a criminal plea deal.—
Harvard Business Review,
Harvard Business Review,
19 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Alexander Smirnov was sentenced to six years in prison in January after pleading guilty to lying to his FBI handler about the Biden family's ties to a Ukrainian energy company -- in addition to a series of unrelated tax fraud charges.—
Alexander Mallin,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2025
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His lawyers said Mahdi's original attorneys put on a shallow case trying to spare his life that didn't call on relatives, teachers or others who knew him and ignored the impact of months spent in solitary confinement in prison as a teen.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Captivity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captivity. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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