- (n.) To redeem from captivity, servitude, punishment or forfeit, by paying a price; to buy out of servitude or penalty; to rescue; to deliver; as, to ransom prisoners from an enemy.
- (n.) The release of a captive or of captured property, by payment of a consideration; redemption; as, prisoners hopeless of ransom.
- (n.) A sum paid for the pardon of some great offense and the discharge of the offender; also, a fine paid in lieu of corporal punishment.
- (n.) The money or price paid for the redemption of a prisoner or for goods captured by an enemy; payment for freedom from restraint, penalty or forfeit.
- (n.) To exact a ransom for or a payment on.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). Ransom. Retrieved September 22, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/ransom/definitions/2052591 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "Ransom" http://smartdefine.org/ransom/definitions/2052591 (accessed September 22, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, Ransom, Smart Define, viewed 22 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/ransom/definitions/2052591>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "Ransom" 27 May 2011. Web. 22 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/ransom/definitions/2052591> |