[hold] prisoner
1
to keep someone in captivity against their will as a result of what they did
- The authorities discovered a hidden room where the kidnappers were holding their victim prisoner.
- The criminal was arrested for holding someone prisoner in their own home.
- The kidnappers held the victim prisoner in a remote location.
- The authorities arrested the suspect and held him prisoner in a detention center.
- During the war, many soldiers were held prisoner by the enemy forces.