indenture

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noun in·den·ture \ in-ˈden-chər \

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

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
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
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

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

See Words from the same year

indenture Synonyms

Synonyms

cavity, concavity, dent, depression, dint, hollow, indentation, hole, pit, recess

Antonyms

bulge, camber, convexity, jut, projection, protrusion, protuberance

Related Words

burrow, cave, cavern, ditch, excavation, furrow, groove, gutter, trench, trough; basin, bowl, valley; alcove, cleft, niche, nook, opening, recess, socket; alveolus, dimple, gouge, impression, imprint, notch, pocket; borehole, chuckhole, crater, posthole, pothole, sinkhole, wallow, water hole, well; abyss, chasm, gulf, vacuity, vacuum, void

Near Antonyms

hill, mound, rise; bump, bunch, hump, lump, pimple, swell, swelling, tumor

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

Some societies cause indentured workers to earn their freedom under impossible circumstances.

— Cincinnati.com, "Column: You can’t erase history," 30 Aug. 2017
The following year, Catherine Tucker indentured Peter and Hannah Denison to work for Elijah Brush, a prominent Detroit lawyer for whom Brush Street in Detroit is named.

— kristen jordan shamus, Detroit Free Press, "How an emancipated slave made it into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame," 23 July 2017
Even as potent a figure as Darlene Love was indentured to Phil Spector.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "In a World of Charlatans, We Need to Appreciate Virtuosos," 6 June 2017
Though baseball’s reserve clause left that era’s players indentured to team owners, Mr. Bunning was never afraid to speak out.

— frank fitzpatrick, Philly.com, "Hall of Fame Phillies pitcher, former U.S. Senator Jim Bunning dies at 85," 27 May 2017
The Gilbert and Sullivan's comic operetta centers around Frederic, a 21-year old man who has been indentured to pirates until his 21st birthday.

— sue ellen ross, Post-Tribune, "'Pirates' come ashore for Munster Theatre Co.," 1 May 2017
The museum describes how 150 or so settlers were a mix of Catholics, indentured servants and others seeking a fresh start.

— fred swegles, Orange County Register, "East Coast ‘San Clemente’ gave English Catholics a foothold in America," 16 Mar. 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

Law Dictionary

indenture

play

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