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 asa : captivity, serfdomb : 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
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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.
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But Reeves’s story ends up echoing a very old one—essentially, Moses leading his people out of bondage and into freedom—without weaving in any nuance.
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Four Confederate memorials had just come down in New Orleans in parts of the city not far from where thousands of men and women were bought and sold into bondage.
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Plague years James left Cleveland once, seven years ago, and the plagues of Egypt descended on us, even though he had been freed from bondage.
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Plague years James left Cleveland once, seven years ago, and the plagues of Egypt descended on us, even though he had been freed from bondage.
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After Marston’s death in 1947, Wonder Woman passed into the hands of other creators, who have tended to downplay or ignore his ideas about female superiority and bondage.
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Directed by Angela Robinson, Professor Marston & the Wonder Women stars Luke Evans as Marston, the Harvard psychologist who channeled his interests in feminism, pacifism, bondage, lie detection, and more into creating Wonder Woman.
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But in every serious study of Wonder Woman there is always a consideration of the way her accoutrements—the bracelets, the lasso, etc.—relate to Marston’s fascination with iconography of bondage.
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
Other Government and Politics Terms
BONDAGE Defined for English Language Learners
bondage
playDefinition of bondage for English Language Learners
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: the state of being a slave
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: sexual activity that involves tying a person up for pleasure
BONDAGE Defined for Kids
bondage
playDefinition of bondage for Students
: the state of being a slave
Learn More about bondage
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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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