ransom
Money paid for the freeing of a hostage.
Seen in the wild
Ugh fucking zelle. I have to pay my rapist the ransom for my freedom today and it doesn't want to let me.
Columbo #S01E02 Ransom for a Dead Man 01:05:33
“I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you want. If you are looking for ransom I can tell you I don’t have money, but what I do have are a very particular set of skills. Skills I have acquired over a very long c…
🚨New ransom group blog post!🚨 Group name: lamashtu Post title: WOHA #ransomware #cti #threatintelligence #cybersecurity #infosec
🚨New ransom group blog post!🚨 Group name: incransom Post title: Aerodiagnostics #ransomware #cti #threatintelligence #cybersecurity #infosec
Definitions
Money paid for the freeing of a hostage.
They were held for two million dollars ransom.
Comments
The release of a captive, or of captured property, by payment of a consideration.
They were held to ransom.
“Ugh fucking zelle. I have to pay my rapist the ransom for my freedom today and it doesn't want to let me.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Columbo #S01E02 Ransom for a Dead Man 01:05:33”
— Bluesky· May 2026““I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you want. If you are looking for ransom I can tell you I don’t have money, but what I do have are a very particular set of skills. Skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“🚨New ransom group blog post!🚨 Group name: lamashtu Post title: WOHA #ransomware #cti #threatintelligence #cybersecurity #infosec”
— Bluesky· May 2026“🚨New ransom group blog post!🚨 Group name: incransom Post title: Aerodiagnostics #ransomware #cti #threatintelligence #cybersecurity #infosec”
— Bluesky· May 2026
Comments
(historical, legal, UK) A sum paid for the pardon of some great offence and the discharge of the offender; also, a fine paid in lieu of corporal punishment.
Ransom means: A sum paid for the pardon of some great offence and the discharge of the offender; also, a fine paid in lieu of corporal punishment.. The word is mostly archaic or historical; you will only encounter it in old texts, period drama, or school history rather than current teen conversation. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour.
ransom means: A sum paid for the pardon of some great offence and the discharge of the offender; also, a fine paid in lieu of corporal punishment.. Register: formal, legal English. Standard in its technical domain but rare in everyday talk; gloss with a plain synonym when writing for a general audience. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
“the most devastating reveal of the Canvas ransom attack is going to be that 99% of teachers post their syllabus and assignments there and then never look at it again, and 99% of messages from students go unanswered until an apology after the term has ended”
— Bluesky· May 2026“this is a good thread and it is disorienting to have this come from "Ransom McCain" lmao”
— Bluesky· May 2026“🚨New ransom group blog post!🚨 Group name: akira Post title: Punch & Associates Investment Management #ransomware #cti #threatintelligence #cybersecurity #infosec”
— Bluesky· May 2026“📖 (5/5) Numbers 35:31 ולאתקחו כפר לנפש רצח אשרהוא רשע למות כימות יומת You may not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of a capital crime; [a murderer] must be put to death.”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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Related terms
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Semantically related
- hold to ransom81%
(UK, transitive) To hold (someone) hostage until a ransom is paid.
- hostage to fortune59%
(chiefly, Britain) An action, promise, or remark that is considered unwise because it could be difficult to fulfil or could cause trouble later on.
- hostage to fortune58%
(chiefly, US) A person or thing whose fate is seen as dependent on chance or luck.