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
Some of the girls escaped captivity on their own while others were released after persistent campaigning from activist organizations such as Amnesty International.
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Lipi Roy, Md, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024
State of play: While 100 hostages were released in a deal last November — and several have been rescued in Israeli military operations — at least a dozen have been murdered in Hamas captivity.
—Barak Ravid, Axios, 7 Oct. 2024
The hostages For almost 11 months, Leah Polin had clung to the hope that her grandson would survive the captivity of Hamas and return home.
—Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 6 Oct. 2024
Winning the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, the second of Chan-wook’s vengeance trilogy finds Choi Min-sik as a drunkard who’s mysteriously imprisoned for 15 years, only to be unceremoniously released from captivity to discover what his past sins resulted in.
—Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 28 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for captivity 
Lipi Roy, Md, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024
State of play: While 100 hostages were released in a deal last November — and several have been rescued in Israeli military operations — at least a dozen have been murdered in Hamas captivity.
—Barak Ravid, Axios, 7 Oct. 2024
The hostages For almost 11 months, Leah Polin had clung to the hope that her grandson would survive the captivity of Hamas and return home.
—Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 6 Oct. 2024
Winning the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, the second of Chan-wook’s vengeance trilogy finds Choi Min-sik as a drunkard who’s mysteriously imprisoned for 15 years, only to be unceremoniously released from captivity to discover what his past sins resulted in.
—Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 28 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for captivity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captivity
Noun
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At the same time, the United States and Western allies have accused Xi of overseeing widespread human rights abuses, even claims of genocide, against the nation's Uyghurs through the use of mass internment camps, a charge the Chinese leader and his government have vehemently denied.Stephan Pechdimaldji, Newsweek, 14 Dec. 2024
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Their strategy resulted in Trump downplaying China’s crackdown against protesters in Hong Kong, expressing support for its internment camps in Xinjiang, offering to lift export controls on Huawei and ZTE, and even accepting a trade deal that did not address China’s industrial policy practices.Rush Doshi, Foreign Affairs, 29 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Thousands of prisoners have now been freed, many after decades of incarceration in brutal conditions.Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024
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On another wall were carved prisoners’ names, birthplaces and dates of incarceration.Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024
Noun
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That group should start with the nearly 1,500 prisoners who are currently on home confinement under the CARES Act.Walter Pavlo, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
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He is being held in pretrial confinement and is awaiting a preliminary hearing.CBS News, CBS News, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Most were ordered to pay a fine and received probation or a few months in prison.Sarah D. Wire, USA TODAY, 8 Dec. 2024
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She could be sentenced to up to five years in prison if convicted.Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 8 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near captivity
Cite this Entry
“Captivity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captivity. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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