enslaved; enslaving; enslaves
: 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
Evan OsnosIt 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
Andrew HigginsThis 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
Minda Zetlin
enslavement
in-ˈslāv-mənt 
noun
en-
plural enslavements
… the continued enslavement of millions of human beings after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.
—Juan Cole
Juan Cole
sexual/economic enslavement
Examples of enslave in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Aisuru and Kimwolf work by first infecting vulnerable online devices, enslaving them into a network of hijacked computers.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 20 Mar. 2026
In keeping with the turn away from the imperialists, Lamotte’s book examines early European empire building from the perspective of the indigenous and enslaved people who participated in the process—some willingly, many not.
—David A. Bell, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026
That mirrors the world, where reparations for indigenous and enslaved people remain more of an intellectual argument far from an actual reality.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 18 Mar. 2026
His comfortable life as a deacon’s son was disrupted at the age of 16 when he was captured and enslaved by Irish raiders, spending the next years as a shepherd on a remote, often freezing hillside.
—Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 17 Mar. 2026
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Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 20 Mar. 2026
In keeping with the turn away from the imperialists, Lamotte’s book examines early European empire building from the perspective of the indigenous and enslaved people who participated in the process—some willingly, many not.
—David A. Bell, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026
That mirrors the world, where reparations for indigenous and enslaved people remain more of an intellectual argument far from an actual reality.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 18 Mar. 2026
His comfortable life as a deacon’s son was disrupted at the age of 16 when he was captured and enslaved by Irish raiders, spending the next years as a shepherd on a remote, often freezing hillside.
—Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for enslave
Cite this Entry
“Enslave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enslave. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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