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
Lady Patriot dramatizes the true story of Mary Bowser, a Black woman who was formerly enslaved and may have worked as a pro-Union spy in Jefferson Davis' Confederate White House during the American Civil War.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Sep. 2025
While some Black Americans had access to the ballot in the antebellum period, most, who were enslaved, did not.
—Time, 12 Sep. 2025
Gullah Geechee people are descendants of West and Central Africans who were enslaved on the rice, indigo and cotton plantations on the Sea Islands of the lower Atlantic states, including part of north Florida.
—Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
Apologize to descendants of the people her family had enslaved and sold.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for enslave
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Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Sep. 2025
While some Black Americans had access to the ballot in the antebellum period, most, who were enslaved, did not.
—Time, 12 Sep. 2025
Gullah Geechee people are descendants of West and Central Africans who were enslaved on the rice, indigo and cotton plantations on the Sea Islands of the lower Atlantic states, including part of north Florida.
—Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
Apologize to descendants of the people her family had enslaved and sold.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for enslave
Cite this Entry
“Enslave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enslave. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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