bondage

noun bond·age \ ˈbän-dij \

Definition of bondage

1 :the tenure or service of a villein, serf, or slave

2 :a state of being bound usually by compulsion (as of law or mastery): such as

a :captivity, serfdom

b :servitude or subjugation to a controlling person or force

young people in bondage to drugs

3 :sadomasochistic sexual practices involving the physical restraint of one partner

See bondage defined for English-language learners

See bondage defined for kids

Examples of bondage in a Sentence

a population held in bondage
the Civil War ended over 200 years of bondage for black Africans in America

Recent Examples of bondage from the Web

Keba says on his Facebook page that French-speaking nations in West and central Africa should mint their own currencies to free themselves from economic bondage imposed by the former colonial ruler.

— pauline bax, Bloomberg.com, "Cash-Burning Activist Sets West Africa's Social Media on Fire," 29 Aug. 2017
Write a novel about a magical world filled with one or more of the following: dying high school students, bondage enthusiasts, murderous wives, or drifters who solve crimes.

— esquire editors, Esquire, "How to B.S. Your Way to a Seven-Figure Book Deal," 23 Aug. 2017
A place where Africans were brought to this country under extreme conditions of human bondage and degradation.

— rachel kaadzi ghansah, GQ, "A Most American Terrorist: The Making of Dylann Roof," 21 Aug. 2017
Same with the Confederate generals who led the rebellion against the union in an effort to preserve states’ rights to keep slavery legal and people in bondage.

— dan rodricks, baltimoresun.com, "Do his peeps really want Larry Hogan to defend Roger Taney's legacy?," 21 Aug. 2017
Beginning with his birth into slavery in Maryland, Parker recalled his life in bondage and his eventual escape to a tenuous freedom in Pennsylvania, where a confrontation with a slaveholder erupted into the violent Christiana Riot of 1851.

— annika neklason, The Atlantic, "The Atlantic Civil War Reader," 18 Aug. 2017
On June 2, Burns was escorted to a waiting ship and returned to bondage.

— robert k. sutton, Smithsonian, "The Wealthy Activist Who Helped Turn “Bleeding Kansas” Free," 16 Aug. 2017
These cretins in Charlottesville are coming together to mourn the lost days of other human beings held in human bondage and a general who fought for just that. 2.

— angela helm, The Root, "White Supremacists Pop Off in Va. and Police Don’t Seem to Give a Damn. Why Is That?," 12 Aug. 2017
Those sold in bondage to Louisiana residents Jesse Beatty and Henry Johnson were scattered across cotton and sugar plantations in Pointe Coupee, Iberville, and Ascension parishes.

— wilborn p. nobles iii, NOLA.com, "Georgetown enslaved her ancestors. Now she's an incoming student.," 17 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bondage.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.