hold to ransom

• hold ransom (American)
• hold for ransom (American)

hold (someone) to ransom

1. (Britain, transitive) To hold (someone) hostage until a ransom is paid.

   Synonym: hold hostage

• “hold sb to ransom” in the Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• “hold someone to ransom” (UK) in Macmillan English Dictionary.
• “hold somebody to ransom” in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Longman.
• “hold to ransom” in the Collins English Dictionary
• “hold someone to ransom” in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press.