bondage

bond·age | \ ˈbän-dij

How to pronounce bondage (audio)

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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 on the Web Britons were concerned, however, by the poet’s state of bondage. — Elizabeth Winkler, The New Yorker, "How Phillis Wheatley Was Recovered Through History," 30 July 2020 According to an estimate by Mullen and Darity, the historian and economist at Duke University, the cost of compensating Americans descended from slaves for the legacy of bondage and subsequent racial oppression could be as much as $13 trillion. — Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, "Reparations bill gets new attention amid BLM. Could other nations provide a blueprint?," 10 July 2020 The eldest of six children, Robert Hemings was born in 1762 into bondage, contradiction and entanglement. — Washington Post, "Remembering the slave who joined Jefferson in Philadelphia," 1 July 2020 But as most Americans celebrated, millions of Black slaves were in bondage. — Kwin Mosby, Travel + Leisure, "How Travel Shaped Frederick Douglass’ Famous Speech 'What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?'," 1 July 2020 Sony’s RCA Records, RCA Inspiration and Legacy Recordings released the song Friday, aligning with the holiday celebrating the day in 1865 that all enslaved black people learned they had been freed from bondage. — NBC News, "New solo version of Aretha song about race, faith released on Juneteenth," 19 June 2020 There are real chains of bondage here, and that’s because of the foundation. — The Atlantic, "Listen: Serenity Now," 18 June 2020 Juneteenth is the closest thing America has to a day of recognition that acknowledges the nearly 250 years of legal human bondage that define our country’s history. — Jenny Singer, Glamour, "How to Celebrate—And Commemorate—Juneteenth," 17 June 2020 On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced the end of the war and slavery, freeing those who remained in bondage. — Sabrina Eaton, cleveland, "What is Juneteenth and should it be a federal holiday?," 16 June 2020

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.

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Last Updated

4 Aug 2020

Cite this Entry

“Bondage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bondage. Accessed 8 Aug. 2020.

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