word-vault/dist/data/cards/ca/captive.json

A lightweight JavaScript package for English word definitions and collections.

{
    "term": "captive",
    "partOfSpeech": "adjective",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "kept as a prisoner or in a space that you cannot get out of; unable to escape",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "captive animals"
                },
                {
                    "text": "They were **taken captive** by masked gunmen."
                },
                {
                    "text": "captive breeding *(= the breeding of wild animals in zoos, etc.)*"
                },
                {
                    "text": "She was held captive in a castle."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "verbs": ["take somebody", "hold somebody", "keep somebody"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "not free to leave a particular place or to choose what you want to do",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "A salesman loves to have a **captive audience** *(= listening because they have no choice)*."
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈkæptɪv/",
                "audio": "ca/captive/captive__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈkæptɪv/",
                "audio": "ca/captive/captive__us_2.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "late Middle English: from Latin captivus, from capere ‘seize, take’."
}