enslaved; enslaving; enslaves
: to force into or as if into slavery : subjugate
The building holds bronze statues of Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass, who were born, and enslaved, on Maryland's Eastern Shore.—
Evan Osnos
Evan OsnosIt has long been known that Nordic warriors established outposts more than a millennium ago on Poland's Baltic coast, enslaving indigenous Slavic peoples to supply a booming slave trade, as well trading in salt, amber and other commodities.—Andrew Higgins
Andrew HigginsThis oddly contradictory view of artificial intelligence is somehow a perfect symbol of AI's place in our imaginations at this moment in history—something that will eliminate countless jobs, a boost for creativity, an end to drudgery, or perhaps a monstrous force that will take over our planet and enslave humanity.—Minda Zetlin
Minda Zetlin
enslavement
in-ˈslāv-mənt 
noun
en-
plural enslavements
… the continued enslavement of millions of human beings after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.
—Juan Cole
Juan Cole
sexual/economic enslavement
Examples of enslave in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Indigenous people who were not enslaved resented being treated like slaves (colonists felt the same).
—Literary Hub, 26 May 2026
The work reimagines the life of Dinah, a Black woman who was enslaved and later indentured at Stenton, centering her humanity, interior life, labor, and resilience.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
The Vatican insists that a later bull, Sublimis Deus in 1537, reaffirmed that Indigenous peoples shouldn’t be deprived of their liberty or the possession of their property, and weren’t to be enslaved.
—Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2026
His paternal grandfather was a civil rights activist and his maternal great-great-grandfather was born enslaved, fought for the Union in the Civil War, and later founded an African American newspaper in Baltimore.
—Julia Terruso, Time, 20 May 2026
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Literary Hub, 26 May 2026
The work reimagines the life of Dinah, a Black woman who was enslaved and later indentured at Stenton, centering her humanity, interior life, labor, and resilience.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
The Vatican insists that a later bull, Sublimis Deus in 1537, reaffirmed that Indigenous peoples shouldn’t be deprived of their liberty or the possession of their property, and weren’t to be enslaved.
—Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2026
His paternal grandfather was a civil rights activist and his maternal great-great-grandfather was born enslaved, fought for the Union in the Civil War, and later founded an African American newspaper in Baltimore.
—Julia Terruso, Time, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for enslave
Cite this Entry
“Enslave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enslave. Accessed 27 May. 2026.
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