A hostage is an entity which is held by a captor in order to compel another party to act or refrain from acting in a particular way. Frequently the entity held is a person. Hostage taking is often politically motivated or motivated by a desire for ransom.

Taking hostages is today considered a crime and/or terrorist act; however, it has a history of military use dating back thousands of years. The criminal activity is known as kidnapping.

Famous hostages include

• Terry Anderson
• Brian Keenan
• Terry Waite
• Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote
• Polybius, Greek historian
• Theodoric the Great
• Richard Lionheart

See also

• laws of war
• Iran hostage crisis
• Stockholm syndrome
• Israel's raid on Entebbe