ransom

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ran·som

(răn′səm)

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

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)

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)

(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.

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:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	ransom - money demanded for the return of a captured person ransom money 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)
Verb	1.	ransom - exchange or buy back for money; under threat redeem 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"

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

riscatto taglia estorsione pagare un riscatto riscattare

身代金

몸값

išpirkaišpirkti

izpirktizpirkuma naudaturēt gūstā

losgeld

løsepenger betale løsepenger for holde fanget med krav om løsepenger

okup

resgate

выкуп

výkupnévymáhať výkupné

odkupnina

lösensumma

ค่าไถ่ตัว

fidyefidye ödeyerek kurtarmakrehin tutmak

tiền chuộc

赎金得赎金后释放某人赎出

ransom

[ˈrænsəm]

A. N → rescate m
to hold sb to ransom → pedir un rescate por algn (fig) → poner a algn entre la espada y la pared
see also king A1

B. VT → rescatar (Rel) → redimir

C. CPD ransom demand N → petición f de rescate
ransom money N → rescate 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]

n → rançon 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

ransom

n → Lösegeld 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. n → riscatto
to hold sb to ransom → tenere in ostaggio qn (per denaro) (fig) → tenere qn in scacco

2. vt → riscattare

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.

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

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

They agree for their ransom, and are part of them dismissed.

This violent resolution was not lasting; his zeal gave way to his avarice, and he could not think of losing so large a sum as he knew he might expect for our ransom: he therefore sent us word that it was in our choice either to die, or to pay him thirty thousand crowns, and demanded to know our determination.

View in context

But per'aps if we keep them till they're ransomed, it means that we keep them till they're dead.

Some authorities think different, but mostly it's considered best to kill them -- except some that you bring to the cave here, and keep them till they're ransomed."

View in context

We at once gave the renegade five hundred crowns to buy the vessel, and with eight hundred I ransomed myself, giving the money to a Valencian merchant who happened to be in Algiers at the time, and who had me released on his word, pledging it that on the arrival of the first ship from Valencia he would pay my ransom; for if he had given the money at once it would have made the king suspect that my ransom money had been for a long time in Algiers, and that the merchant had for his own advantage kept it secret.

View in context

``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.''

View in context

or does Lorquas Ptomel, Jed, intend holding her for ransom?"

View in context

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.

View in context

"Without doubt, duke, since you are not yet ransomed, but have no care of that; it was I who took you out of M.

View in context

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.

View in context

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.

View in context

You have brought me neither comfort nor performance; and now you come seeing among Danaans, and saying that Apollo has plagued us because I would not take a ransom for this girl, the daughter of Chryses.