slave 1 of 2

noun

ˈslāv How to pronounce slave (audio)
Definition of slavenext
1
as in servant
a person who is considered the property of another person many American slaves reached freedom in the North through the network known as the Underground Railroad

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in laborer
a person who does very hard or dull work unappreciated office slaves who perform the necessary but tedious task of filing paperwork

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

slave

2 of 2

verb

as in to labor
to devote serious and sustained effort slaving over a hot stove

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of slave
Noun
Snyder said that Tritton was born a slave in Nova Scotia and was later brought to New Haven along with her mother, Lucy. — John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 20 July 2026 As the title suggests, the book focuses on Odysseus’ wife Penelope and the slave girls who contend with the suitors while awaiting Odysseus’ return in a misogynistic world where the women are often casualties of the rivalries of men. — Eliana Dockterman, Time, 17 July 2026
Verb
Defined by exhaustion from slaving away at the ironing board while confronting the latest family crisis, Angela is quite capable of whipping up baloney sandwiches with mayonnaise for all and functions as a wise-cracking, big-hearted den mother. — Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 4 Aug. 2025 However, the worse the prison’s conditions become — as the workers are forced to slave away on secret Death Star parts with no promise of release — the more Kino is pushed to join Cassian and his brewing prisoner revolt. — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for slave
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slave
  1. servant
  2. laborer
  3. labor
  4. bondman
  5. worker
  6. struggle
  7. chattel
  8. strive
Noun
  • The Oscar-winning director cast the actor as Eumaeus, the faithful servant of Odysseus (Matt Damon) coming to terms with his grief over his master’s prolonged absence.
    — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 19 July 2026
  • Eumaeus, who is portrayed by John Leguizamo, is Odysseus’ loyal servant who helps him reclaim the kingdom of Ithaca.
    — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026
Definition of servant
Noun
  • Unfortunately, during the early to mid-twentieth century, negative perceptions of immigrant and ethnic laborers led many outsiders to view their neighborhoods as unsafe, unclean, and detrimental to the social fabric of American cities.
    — Michelle Oliva-Espinosa, Kansas City Star, 18 July 2026
  • The El Niño effects, in combination with the high fertilizer costs, will likely reduce opportunities for agricultural work while also increasing the amount that food laborers – among the poorest people – have to spend on produce.
    — Peter Hailey, The Conversation, 16 July 2026
Definition of laborer
Verb
  • Since the Computing Community Consortium hosted its first conference on thermodynamic computing in 2019, a small community of researchers has been laboring to put it into practice.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 15 July 2026
  • The former offices of the saltpeter mines, which produced the main ingredients used in gunpowder and fertilizer, evoke the past, when thousands of people labored at processing caliche, a nitrate-bearing rock.
    — Cristina Dorador, The Dial, 14 July 2026
Definition of labor
Noun
  • That is the standard set for bringing weapons and cellphones into a secure area, safeguarding department property, monitoring the radio, misusing department letterhead, badges or insignia, secondary employment violations, and recommending bondsmen or attorneys to inmates.
    — Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 29 May 2026
  • Kim Kardashian, who has advocated for prison reform, paid the bondsman to have Glossip released, her publicist told The Oklahoman.
    — Karina Tsui, CNN Money, 15 May 2026
Definition of bondman
Noun
  • The building appears to be still in the framing stage with workers making adjustments to the concrete pylons as cars zip past.
    — Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 July 2026
  • From a human trafficking sweep, to a mistrial in the K Street mass shooting case, to a look at a state worker Reddit community, here’s a rundown of the top Sacramento stories on July 21.
    — Ruyuan Li. Summary produced by AI assistance, Sacbee.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of worker
Verb
  • In the galley, Joy struggles to accommodate two sheets of Suzanne’s preferences and one sheet of Sugar Baby’s.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 21 July 2026
  • Day to day, as the city grows, there’s also the question of traffic, which snarls the city as public transit initiatives have repeatedly struggled.
    — Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 21 July 2026
Definition of struggle
Noun
  • Men were masters over their women, their chattel, and their emotions.
    — Rob Wolfe, The Atlantic, 5 June 2026
  • The law turned human beings into chattel, allowing them to be worked, beaten, sold, raped and killed — and France never formally did away with it.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 May 2026
Definition of chattel
Verb
  • What specific gaps in the motorsports ecosystem was the team striving to solve?
    — Michael Harley, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
  • There was so much striving, by individuals and their teams, striving for the World Cup trophy and striving against every structural indecency that conspired to compromise the game’s integrity.
    — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 20 July 2026
Definition of strive

Phrases Containing slave

Browse Nearby Words

slaughters
slave
slaved
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Slave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slave. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on slave

Nglish: Translation of slave for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of parochial

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All