ransom
verb/ˈrænsəm/
/ˈrænsəm/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they ransom | /ˈrænsəm/ /ˈrænsəm/ |
| he / she / it ransoms | /ˈrænsəmz/ /ˈrænsəmz/ |
| past simple ransomed | /ˈrænsəmd/ /ˈrænsəmd/ |
| past participle ransomed | /ˈrænsəmd/ /ˈrænsəmd/ |
| -ing form ransoming | /ˈrænsəmɪŋ/ /ˈrænsəmɪŋ/ |
- ransom somebody to pay money to somebody so that they will set free the person that they are keeping as a prisoner
- The kidnapped children were all ransomed and returned home unharmed.
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French ransoun (noun), ransouner (verb), from Latin redemptio(n-) ‘ransoming, releasing’, from redimere ‘buy back’, from re- ‘back’ + emere ‘buy’. Early use also occurred in theological contexts expressing ‘deliverance’ and ‘atonement’.
Check pronunciation:
ransom