Some hostages one does associate with (4)
I believe the answer is:
stag
'associate with' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both to do with social activities as well as being verbs in their base form.
Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'some hostages one' is the wordplay.
'some' says the answer is hidden in the clue (some of the parts of the word are used).
'STAG' is hidden within 'hostages one'.
'does' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for stag that I've seen before include "This party is for men only" , "Male-only" , "Male beast" , "Male animal" , "involving men" .)