Synonyms of captornext
: one that has captured a person or thing

Examples of captor in a Sentence

The men fought their captors and escaped.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Nearly half were killed by their captors, according to Israeli military officials and forensic evidence reviewed by their families. — Jeremy Diamond, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026 His captors threatened to kill him and accused him of conspiring against Maduro. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026 Hersh was held hostage for 328 sickening, agonizing, and starving days until his captors executed him with five other young and luminous people in a tunnel underneath Gaza. — Rachel Goldberg-Polin, Time, 6 Oct. 2026 Having escaped just in time, Ellen comes up with a plan to pick off the captors one by one, ending with MacKinney himself. — Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for captor

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin, from Latin capere

First Known Use

circa 1688, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of captor was circa 1688

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Captor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/captor. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Kids Definition

captor

noun
: one that has captured a person or thing

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