ransom


Also found in: Thesaurus, Legal, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

ran·som

 (răn′səm)
n.
1.
a. The release of property or a person in return for payment of a demanded price.
b. The price or payment demanded or paid for such release.
2. Christianity A redemption from sin and its consequences.
tr.v. ran·somed, ran·som·ing, ran·soms
1.
a. To obtain the release of by paying a certain price.
b. To release after receiving such a payment.
2. Christianity To deliver from sin and its consequences.

[Middle English raunson, raunsom, from Old French rançon, from Latin redēmptiō, redēmptiōn-, a buying back; see redemption.]

ran′som·er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ransom

(ˈrænsəm)
n
1. the release of captured prisoners, property, etc, on payment of a stipulated price
2. the price demanded or stipulated for such a release
3. rescue or redemption of any kind
4. hold to ransom
a. to keep (prisoners, property, etc) in confinement until payment for their release is made or received
b. to attempt to force (a person or persons) to comply with one's demands
5. a king's ransom a very large amount of money or valuables
vb (tr)
6. to pay a stipulated price and so obtain the release of (prisoners, property, etc)
7. to set free (prisoners, property, etc) upon receiving the payment demanded
8. to redeem; rescue: Christ ransomed men from sin.
[C14: from Old French ransoun, from Latin redemptiō a buying back, redemption]
ˈransomer n

Ransom

(ˈrænsəm)
n
(Biography) John Crowe. 1888–1974, US poet and critic
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ran•som

(ˈræn səm)

n.
1. the redemption of a prisoner, kidnapped person, etc., for a price.
2. the price paid or demanded for such redemption.
3. deliverance or rescue from punishment for sin or the means for this, esp. the payment of a redemptive fine.
v.t.
4. to redeem from detention, bondage, etc., by paying a demanded price.
5. to deliver or redeem from punishment for sin.
[1150–1200; ransoun < Old French rançon]

Ran•som

(ˈræn səm)

n.
John Crowe, 1888–1974, U.S. poet, critic, and teacher.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

ransom


Past participle: ransomed
Gerund: ransoming

Imperative
ransom
ransom
Present
I ransom
you ransom
he/she/it ransoms
we ransom
you ransom
they ransom
Preterite
I ransomed
you ransomed
he/she/it ransomed
we ransomed
you ransomed
they ransomed
Present Continuous
I am ransoming
you are ransoming
he/she/it is ransoming
we are ransoming
you are ransoming
they are ransoming
Present Perfect
I have ransomed
you have ransomed
he/she/it has ransomed
we have ransomed
you have ransomed
they have ransomed
Past Continuous
I was ransoming
you were ransoming
he/she/it was ransoming
we were ransoming
you were ransoming
they were ransoming
Past Perfect
I had ransomed
you had ransomed
he/she/it had ransomed
we had ransomed
you had ransomed
they had ransomed
Future
I will ransom
you will ransom
he/she/it will ransom
we will ransom
you will ransom
they will ransom
Future Perfect
I will have ransomed
you will have ransomed
he/she/it will have ransomed
we will have ransomed
you will have ransomed
they will have ransomed
Future Continuous
I will be ransoming
you will be ransoming
he/she/it will be ransoming
we will be ransoming
you will be ransoming
they will be ransoming
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been ransoming
you have been ransoming
he/she/it has been ransoming
we have been ransoming
you have been ransoming
they have been ransoming
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been ransoming
you will have been ransoming
he/she/it will have been ransoming
we will have been ransoming
you will have been ransoming
they will have been ransoming
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been ransoming
you had been ransoming
he/she/it had been ransoming
we had been ransoming
you had been ransoming
they had been ransoming
Conditional
I would ransom
you would ransom
he/she/it would ransom
we would ransom
you would ransom
they would ransom
Past Conditional
I would have ransomed
you would have ransomed
he/she/it would have ransomed
we would have ransomed
you would have ransomed
they would have ransomed
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.ransom - money demanded for the return of a captured personransom - money demanded for the return of a captured person
cost - the total spent for goods or services including money and time and labor
2.ransom - payment for the release of someone
defrayal, defrayment, payment - the act of paying money
3.ransom - the act of freeing from captivity or punishment
recovery, retrieval - the act of regaining or saving something lost (or in danger of becoming lost)
Verb1.ransom - exchange or buy back for money; under threat
crime, criminal offence, criminal offense, law-breaking, offense, offence - (criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act; "a long record of crimes"
exchange, interchange, change - give to, and receive from, one another; "Would you change places with me?"; "We have been exchanging letters for a year"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

ransom

noun
1. payment, money, price, payoff The ransom demand was made by telephone.
2. release, rescue, liberation, redemption, deliverance the ransom of the victim
verb
1. buy the freedom of, release, deliver, rescue, liberate, buy (someone) out (informal), redeem, set free, obtain or pay for the release of The same system was used for ransoming or exchanging captives.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
فِدْيَةفِدْيَهيَحْتَفِظ بالأسير حتّى تُدْفَع فِديَةُيَفْتَدي بالمال
výkupnévykoupitvymáhat výkupné
løsesumløskøbeholde som gidsel
lunnaat
otkupnina
fogságban tartmegsarcolváltságdíjváltságdíjat fizet
borga lausnargjaldlausnargjald
身代金
몸값
išpirkaišpirkti
izpirktizpirkuma naudaturēt gūstā
výkupnévymáhať výkupné
odkupnina
lösensumma
ค่าไถ่ตัว
fidyefidye ödeyerek kurtarmakrehin tutmak
tiền chuộc

ransom

[ˈrænsəm]
A. Nrescate m
to hold sb to ransompedir un rescate por algn (fig) → poner a algn entre la espada y la pared
see also king A1
B. VTrescatar (Rel) → redimir
C. CPD ransom demand Npetición f de rescate
ransom money Nrescate m, dinero m exigido a cambio del rehén
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

ransom

[ˈrænsəm]
nrançon f
to hold sb ransom (British) to hold sb for ransom (US) (= hold as hostage) → retenir qn en otage, retenir qn en otage
to hold sb to ransom (fig) (= coerce) → prendre qn en otage
modif [demand] → de rançon; [money] → de la rançon; [note] → de demande de rançon
vt (= pay ransom for) [+ captive] → payer la rançon de
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

ransom

nLösegeld nt; (= rescue)Auslösung f; (= release)Freilassung f; (Rel) → Erlösung f; to hold somebody to (Brit) or for (US) ransom (lit)jdn als Geisel halten; (fig)jdn erpressen ? king
vt (= buy free)auslösen, Lösegeld bezahlen für; (= set free)gegen Lösegeld freilassen; (Rel) → erlösen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

ransom

[ˈrænsəm]
1. nriscatto
to hold sb to ransom → tenere in ostaggio qn (per denaro) (fig) → tenere qn in scacco
2. vtriscattare
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

ransom

(ˈrӕnsəm) noun
a sum of money etc paid for the freeing of a prisoner. They paid a ransom of $40,000; (also adjective) They paid $40,000 in ransom money.
verb
1. to pay money etc to free (someone).
2. to keep (a person) as a prisoner until a sum of money etc is paid for his release.
hold to ransom
to keep (a person) as a prisoner until a sum of money etc is paid for his release.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

ransom

فِدْيَة výkupné løsesum Lösegeld λύτρα rescate lunnaat rançon otkupnina riscatto 身代金 몸값 losgeld løsepenger okup resgate выкуп lösensumma ค่าไถ่ตัว fidye tiền chuộc 赎金
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
References in classic literature ?
In this way I lived on immured in a building or prison called by the Turks a bano in which they confine the Christian captives, as well those that are the king's as those belonging to private individuals, and also what they call those of the Almacen, which is as much as to say the slaves of the municipality, who serve the city in the public works and other employments; but captives of this kind recover their liberty with great difficulty, for, as they are public property and have no particular master, there is no one with whom to treat for their ransom, even though they may have the means.
I, however, was one of those on ransom, for when it was discovered that I was a captain, although I declared my scanty means and want of fortune, nothing could dissuade them from including me among the gentlemen and those waiting to be ransomed.
Why can't a body take a club and ransom them as soon as they get here?"
No, sir, we'll just go on and ransom them in the regular way."
They agree for their ransom, and are part of them dismissed.
Now Chryses had come to the ships of the Achaeans to free his daughter, and had brought with him a great ransom: moreover he bore in his hand the sceptre of Apollo wreathed with a suppliant's wreath, and he besought the Achaeans, but most of all the two sons of Atreus, who were their chiefs.
``According to the laws of chivalry,'' said the foremost of these men, ``I, Baldwin de Oyley, squire to the redoubted Knight Brian de Bois-Guilbert, make offer to you, styling yourself, for the present, the Disinherited Knight, of the horse and armour used by the said Brian de Bois-Guilbert in this day's Passage of Arms, leaving it with your nobleness to retain or to ransom the same, according to your pleasure; for such is the law of arms.''
or does Lorquas Ptomel, Jed, intend holding her for ransom?"
I need not expound the quaint old ritual of ransom, which it is incumbent upon me to keep up; and even this only applies to a part of the company.
Monk was only a general; it is therefore only a general's ransom that is due to me.
Tell me what you want, and, Werper, if you still possess the jewels of which Achmet Zek told me, there is no reason why you and I should not ride north together and divide the ransom of the white woman and the contents of the pouch you wear about your person.
The title sounded promising, and at once the wily old robber had visions of ransom. His intentions, if not his attitude toward the prisoner underwent a change--he would investigate further.