Betekenis van captive In het Nederlands

• 0 a person or animal whose ability to move or act freely is limited by being kept in a space; a prisoner, especially a person held by the enemy during a war:

  • When the town was recaptured, we found soldiers who had been captives for several years.

  • The terrorists were holding several diplomats captive.

• 1 (of a person or an animal) having limited ability to move or act freely because of being kept in a space:

  • Wildlife officials say double fences would help prevent the spread of disease between wild and captive animals.

  • If it is successful, captive breeding could restore the population to 200 in seven years.

  • The government handed him over to rebels in return for captive soldiers.

  • News that the soldiers were captive after being held at gunpoint caused panic.

• 2 a prisoner, esp. a person held by the enemy during a war

• 3 (being) without the ability to escape:

  • The soldiers were held captive for three months.

  • When selling to people in their homes, you’ve got a captive audience (= people who cannot leave).

• 4 not having a choice about what services, goods, etc. you buy because there is only one or there are only a few available in the place where you are:

  • In the cinema, advertisers know that they have a captive audience.

  • Long-distance airline passengers are the perfect captive market.

  • Utility companies could be fined for overcharging captive customers or undercharging consumers who have a choice of supplier.