indenture

noun in·den·ture \ in-ˈden-chər \

Updated on: 24 Apr 2018

Definition of indenture

1 a (1) : a document or a section of a document that is indented

(2) : a formal or official document usually executed in two or more copies

(3) : a contract binding one person to work for another for a given period of time —often used in plural

b : a formal certificate (such as an inventory or voucher) prepared for purposes of control

c : a document stating the terms under which a security (such as a bond) is issued

2 : indentation 1

[³indent]

: dent

See indenture defined for kids

Examples of indenture in a Sentence

the dropped hammer left an indenture in the floor
made a small indenture to mark the spot where the plank was to be sawed

Recent Examples of indenture from the Web

GoldenTree’s law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP spelled out the concern in a letter last week saying that investors were troubled about a potential financing deal built around a misreading of Frontier’s debt indentures.

— andrew scurria, WSJ, "Frontier Communications Creditors Jockey in Refinancing Push," 5 Apr. 2018
Why should someone with no interest in college indenture himself for a year for the pay of a scholarship and a small stipend?

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Paul Daugherty: Darius Bazley's G League gamble will have fallout for years to come," 31 Mar. 2018
And the art moved, trust indenture notwithstanding.

— stephan salisbury, Philly.com, "Barnes Foundation says St. Joe's lease deal does not mean sales are in the works," 19 Mar. 2018
Last year the 1860 Indian Museum, dedicated to indenture, opened in Durban.

— The Economist, "The legacy of Indian migration to European colonies," 31 Aug. 2017
But there is also power in the complementary argument that Republicans have coopted the language of freedom to impose a form of indenture.

— brian beutler, New Republic, "Democrats, Not Republicans, Stand for “Freedom” in Health Care," 20 July 2017
Most of the airport authorities support an interpretation of airport bond trust indentures in which a change of ownership would require bondholder support, McNamara said.

— allison mcneely, Bloomberg.com, "Canada's Airport Sales Must Go Through Bondholders First," 24 May 2017
That's what happened to the holder of Casor’s indenture, Anthony Johnson.

— kat eschner, Smithsonian, "The Horrible Fate of John Casor, The First Black Man to be Declared Slave for Life in America," 8 Mar. 2017
Those documents, known as indentures, set initial interest rates of 6.39 percent on the $275 million loan and 6.41 percent on the $112 million loan through July 2.

— juan perez jr., chicagotribune.com, "$70,000 a day in interest — the cost of another short-term CPS budget solution," 27 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'indenture.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of indenture

Middle English endenture, from Anglo-French, from endenter

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

See Words from the same year

indenture Synonyms

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi

indenture

verb

Definition of indenture

indentured; indenturing play \in-ˈden-ch(ə-)riŋ\

transitive verb

: to bind (someone, such as an apprentice) by or as if by indentures

Recent Examples of indenture from the Web

The giant corporation Innovative Online Industries, and its head, Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn), are racing the individual gamers to the prize, using indentured labor to scour the Oasis for clues.

— alyssa rosenberg, chicagotribune.com, "'Ready Player One' seems like a celebration of fandom, but it's actually a dire warning," 1 Apr. 2018
And if there aren't enough American doctors, for instance, who want to work in some small town in Oklahoma, the solution is not to import foreign doctors and indenture them to work in a small town.

— jaclyn cosgrove, latimes.com, "Fewer foreign doctors are coming to study in the United States, report shows," 16 Mar. 2018
Doug Pawlik, jauntily attired in gym shorts, sweat socks and a nerdy tie, plays earnest Freddy, who is all set to win his freedom on his 21st birthday after having been mistakenly indentured as a boy to a band of amiable pirates.

— charles mcnulty, latimes.com, "'Pirates of Penzance,' with a piña colada: Gilbert & Sullivan plays as interactive party," 26 Jan. 2018
In this program at the society’s DiMenna Children’s History Museum, the American Slavery Project has focused on the many anonymous slaves, indentured servants and free black New Yorkers interred in the African Burial Ground in Lower Manhattan.

— laurel graeber, New York Times, "Events for Children in NYC This Week," 2 Nov. 2017
The measures come in response to a USA TODAY Network investigation that revealed truckers were working as modern-day indentured servants while hauling goods for America’s retail giants.

— brett murphy, USA TODAY, "Federal bills aim to stop exploitation of port truckers," 24 Oct. 2017
But by the 18th century, the country’s master class had begun etching race into law while phasing out indentured servitude in favor of a more enduring labor solution.

— ta-nehisi coates, The Atlantic, "The First White President," 7 Sep. 2017
For Jamie, that means battle, solitude, indentured servitude and (eventually) freedom.

— sarah schreiber, Good Housekeeping, "Here's Everything We Know About "Outlander" Season 3," 28 Aug. 2017
But Africans who were indentured were often captured and brought over against their will.

— kat eschner, Smithsonian, "The Horrible Fate of John Casor, The First Black Man to be Declared Slave for Life in America," 8 Mar. 2017

First Known Use of indenture

1676

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Law Dictionary

indenture

noun in·den·ture \ in-ˈden-chər \

legal Definition of indenture

1 : a document stating the terms under which a security (as a debenture or other bond) is issued; specifically, in bankruptcy law : a document (as a mortgage or deed of trust) under which there is outstanding security constituting a claim against a debtor, a claim secured by a lien on any of the debtor's property, or an equity security of the debtor

2 : a deed or other document to which two or more parties (as both grantor and grantee) are bound

Origin and Etymology of indenture

Old French endenture an indented document, from endenter to indent (divide a document into sections with irregular edges that can be matched for authentication), from en- thoroughly + dent tooth