bondage

noun bond·age \ ˈbän-dij \

Updated on: 18 Apr 2018

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

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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

Asians, who traveled to Mexico on Spanish galleons, some by choice and some in bondage.

— lizzie wade, Science | AAAS, "Latin America’s lost histories revealed in modern DNA," 12 Apr. 2018
President Trump has freed so many children held in bondage to pimps all over this world.

— lisa gutierrez, kansascity, "Will 'Roseanne' survive boycott tied to star's deleted tweets, controversial past? | The Kansas City Star," 3 Apr. 2018
Seder participants read from the Haggadah, a special prayer book that reflects on the story of Moses, Egypt's Pharaoh, and the Jewish people's escape from bondage.

— greg garrison, AL.com, "What is Passover? Here are some facts about the biblical holiday," 30 Mar. 2018
The images and videos depicted acts of violence, bondage and bestiality involving children, the document said.

— kim chatelain, NOLA.com, "Covington man gets 9 years for possessing thousands of child porn images," 22 Sep. 2017
After abundance and apathy: dependency and bondage.

— sheelah kolhatkar, The New Yorker, "The State of Nature," 26 Dec. 2016
President Trump has freed so many children held in bondage to pimps all over this world.

— devan cole, CNN, "Roseanne tweets support of Trump conspiracy theory, confuses Twitter," 31 Mar. 2018
Even men got in on the glove love, with Jeremy Scott turning bondage latex into kinky gauntlets.

— steff yotka, Vogue, "The Best Accessories of 2018 Are Larger Than Life," 22 Mar. 2018
The United Nations considers debt bondage a form of slavery.

— samuel axon, Ars Technica, "In an audit of supply chain partners, Apple found increased labor violations in 2017," 9 Mar. 2018

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.

Origin and Etymology of bondage

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from bonde customary tenant, from Middle English

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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bondage Synonyms

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

BONDAGE Defined for English Language Learners

bondage

noun

Definition of bondage for English Language Learners

: the state of being a slave
: sexual activity that involves tying a person up for pleasure

BONDAGE Defined for Kids

bondage

noun bond·age \ ˈbän-dij \

Definition of bondage for Students

: the state of being a slave

Learn More about bondage

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for bondage Spanish Central: Translation of bondage Nglish: Translation of bondage for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of bondage for Arabic speakers

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bondage

Definition of bondage

Examples of bondage in a Sentence

Recent Examples of bondage from the Web

Origin and Etymology of bondage

bondage Synonyms

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Other Government and Politics Terms

BONDAGE Defined for English Language Learners

bondage

Definition of bondage for English Language Learners

BONDAGE Defined for Kids

bondage

Definition of bondage for Students

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