enslave

verb

en·​slave in-ˈslāv 

en-

enslaved; enslaving; enslaves

transitive verb

: 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

It 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

This 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

enslavement

in-ˈslāv-mənt 

en-

noun

plural enslavements

… the continued enslavement of millions of human beings after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.

—Juan Cole

sexual/economic enslavement

Examples of enslave in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In Charleston, that means considering the coastal setting and the history that visitors encounter throughout the city, including its Gullah Geechee heritage, preserved by the descendants of Africans who were enslaved in the Lowcountry. — Jesse Scott, Travel + Leisure, 28 Oct. 2026

The movie, produced by Bona Film Group, tells the story of an archaeologist who must save the future world enslaved by AI, according to Chinese state media. — Jay Ganglani, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2026

The real issue was that the presence of the enslaved in the gold mines increased the ranks of the competition. — Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026

But across higher education, new efforts have come to a standstill, said Richard Cellini, who previously led a Harvard University project to identify descendants of people enslaved by Harvard’s past leaders. — ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for enslave

• agave
• behave
• concave
• conclave
• enclave
• engrave
• forgave
• landgrave
• margrave
• shortwave
• aftershave
• architrave

Kids Definition

enslave

verb

en·​slave in-ˈslāv 

: to force into slavery

enslavement

-mənt 

noun

enslaver noun