1
a
: the use of laborers bound in servitude because of debt
b
: a system of convict labor by which convicts are leased to contractors
2
: the condition of a peon
Examples of peonage in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Its darkest depths -- the rise of racial terrorism, convict leasing, debt peonage and more -- are only now being reassessed by millions of Americans whose racial awakening came through the crucible of Floyd's murder and the demonstrations that followed.
—
Peniel E. Joseph, CNN, 6 Oct. 2021
Many drivers stick around for the full year to avoid those fees, enduring what amounts to debt peonage.
—Andrew Kay, WIRED, 17 Jan. 2023
Redemptionists stymied Black progress toward economic independence through sharecropping and a debt peonage system that encumbered Black farmers with overwhelming financial burdens.
—Time, 15 Sep. 2022
For many years, prosecutions based on alleged violations of the 13th Amendment — passed in 1865 to outlaw slavery and involuntary servitude — focused on peonage cases, the use of financial debt as a loophole to enslave workers.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 July 2022
Labor trafficking follows the same definition, except its purpose is subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.
—Celina Tebor, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2022
Sometimes, exile was self-inflicted when people fled their homes before they could be sold off to debt peonage.
—Kristin Collier, Longreads, 1 Dec. 2021
Amendment prohibitions against peonage and involuntary servitude.
—Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 14 Apr. 2021
Among these players are the approximately 96% who will not go pro, and for whom a college athletic scholarship, where they are expected to subordinate education to athletic performance, is more akin to peonage.
—Time, 30 Mar. 2021
Peniel E. Joseph, CNN, 6 Oct. 2021
Many drivers stick around for the full year to avoid those fees, enduring what amounts to debt peonage.
—Andrew Kay, WIRED, 17 Jan. 2023
Redemptionists stymied Black progress toward economic independence through sharecropping and a debt peonage system that encumbered Black farmers with overwhelming financial burdens.
—Time, 15 Sep. 2022
For many years, prosecutions based on alleged violations of the 13th Amendment — passed in 1865 to outlaw slavery and involuntary servitude — focused on peonage cases, the use of financial debt as a loophole to enslave workers.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 July 2022
Labor trafficking follows the same definition, except its purpose is subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.
—Celina Tebor, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2022
Sometimes, exile was self-inflicted when people fled their homes before they could be sold off to debt peonage.
—Kristin Collier, Longreads, 1 Dec. 2021
Amendment prohibitions against peonage and involuntary servitude.
—Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 14 Apr. 2021
Among these players are the approximately 96% who will not go pro, and for whom a college athletic scholarship, where they are expected to subordinate education to athletic performance, is more akin to peonage.
—Time, 30 Mar. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'peonage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Peonage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peonage. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
peonage
noun
pe·on·age
ˈpē-ə-nij 
: labor in a condition of servitude to extinguish a debt
the holding of any person to service or labor under the system known as peonage is abolished and forever prohibited—U.S. Code
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