slave

²slave

verb

slavedslav·ing

Definition of SLAVE

transitive verb

1

archaic : enslave

2

: to make directly responsive to another mechanism

intransitive verb

1

: to work like a slave : drudge

2

: to traffic in slaves

Examples of SLAVE

1. I slaved all morning to get the work done on time.
2. She's been slaving away at her homework.

First Known Use of SLAVE

1602

Related to SLAVE

Synonyms: bang away, beaver (away), dig (away), drudge, endeavor, fag, grub, hump, hustle, moil, peg (away), plod, plow, plug, labor, slog, strain, strive, struggle, sweat, toil, travail, tug, work

Related Words: apply (oneself), buckle (down), dig in, hammer (away), knuckle down, pitch in; attack, drive; essay, try; exercise, exert, overexert, overwork; eke out, grind (out), put out, scrabble, scratch; trudge, wade

Near Antonyms: break, ease (up), let up, slacken; bum, chill, dally, dillydally, footle, goldbrick, goof (off), hack (around), hang (around or out), idle, laze, loaf, lounge, shirk, slack (off), veg out; bask, loll, relax, repose, rest, unwind; dabble, doodle, fool around, fribble, goof (around), hang, hang about [British], mess around, monkey (around), play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle

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