slave

noun \ ˈslāv \

Definition of slave

1 :a person held in servitude as the chattel of another

2 :one that is completely subservient to a dominating influence

3 :a device (such as the printer of a computer) that is directly responsive to another

4 :drudge, toiler

—

slave

adjective

See slave defined for English-language learners

See slave defined for kids

Examples of slave in a Sentence

He treats her like a slave.
Do it yourself! I'm not your slave!

Recent Examples of slave from the Web

America was founded as a multi-ethnic state by virtue of occupying lands populated by whites, Indians, African slaves, and, later, Hispanics from annexed Mexican territories.

— j. j. mccullough, National Review, "I Love America (and the Alt-Right Doesn’t)," 28 Aug. 2017
Beloved is also a book about people who don’t really have any formal education — former slaves — but Morrison never doubts the complexity of their inner lives.

— as told to erica schwiegershausen, The Cut, "Angela Flournoy on the Book That Changed Her," 24 Aug. 2017
Indeed, in the early days of The Atlantic, the violent battle over whether Kansas would become a slave state raged.

— alexis c. madrigal, The Atlantic, "The 1850s Response to the Racism of 2017," 16 Aug. 2017
In Sunday night's reunion, Tyrion gave Jorah an old coin from when they were sold as slaves as a nostalgic parting gift.

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "All of the reunions and meetings in "Eastwatch," explained.," 15 Aug. 2017
From left, Freddy Rodriguez and Brian Simmons, process nuclear operators at the INL, use master-slave manipulators to work with radioactive material on the other side of the glass in 2015.

— patrick malone and peter cary, idahostatesman, "Unheeded warnings, repeated mistakes put lives at risk at Idaho nuclear lab," 10 Aug. 2017
But just 70 years prior, her great-great-great grandmother Melvinia Shields—who had been a slave—was alive.

— suzannah weiss, Glamour, "Ava DuVernay Honored the Memorial of Michelle Obama's Slave Ancestor," 7 Aug. 2017
The millions of Americans born of the trans-Atlantic slave trade are evidence otherwise.

— justin sink, Bloomberg.com, "Trump Hits Reset Button by Ousting Priebus After Rough Week," 29 July 2017
Some say it was created for Sir Frances Drake while the more likely story is that slaves in the Cuban sugar cane fields crafted the drink from a homemade rum called aguadiente (literal translation: firewater), mint and limes.

— kevin hopper, idahostatesman, "When the backyard gives you mint, make mojitos," 18 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of slave

Middle English sclave, from Anglo-French or Medieval Latin; Anglo-French esclave, from Medieval Latin sclavus, from Sclavus Slav; from the frequent enslavement of Slavs in central Europe during the early Middle Ages

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

slave Synonyms

Synonyms

bondman (also bondsman), chattel, thrall

Antonyms

freeman

Related Words

bondwoman (also bondswoman), odalisque; helot, serf; bond servant, indentured servant; attendant, domestic, drudge, handmaiden (also handmaid), lackey, menial, servant, slavey

Near Antonyms

freedman, freedwoman; enslaver, slave driver, slaveholder, slaver; master, taskmaster

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

slave

verb

Definition of slave

slaved; slaving

transitive verb

1 archaic :enslave

2 :to make directly responsive to another mechanism

intransitive verb

1 :to work like a slave :drudge

2 :to traffic in slaves

See slave defined for English-language learners

Examples of slave in a Sentence

I slaved all morning to get the work done on time.
She's been slaving away at her homework.

Recent Examples of slave from the Web

Many lemonade recipes call for boiling water, but who wants to do that in summer? Slaving over a hot stove is not required for this easy recipe.

— milwaukee, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Lemonade," 20 June 2017
For instance, Ancestry.com has a number of relevant message boards, including one specific to slave information.

— The Root, "Tracing Your Roots: I Want to Post the Names of My Ancestors’ Slaves," 9 June 2017
The PS4 Pro's power has been effectively slaved to the baseline PlayStation 4.

— matt peckham, Time, "Everything Sony Told Us About the Future of PlayStation," 5 June 2017
The bill clearly stated that the purpose was to recognize the part slaves played in settling this steamy, wild land and to acknowledge the inhumanity of their state while doing so.

— lauren ritchie, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Local senator prevents monument to Florida's slaves," 19 May 2017
The Japanese treated their prisoners with extreme brutality as they were marched to prison camps and to slave labor in Japan.

— paul sassone, chicagotribune.com, "Column: What Memorial Day means in Maywood," 17 May 2017
For decades, North Korea has been accused of sending workers abroad and confiscating most of their wages, an arrangement that activists liken to slave labor.

— jane perlez, yufan huang and paul mozur, New York Times, "How North Korea Managed to Defy Years of Sanctions," 12 May 2017
Perhaps three out of every four slaving voyages are now documented in the database.

— Smithsonian, "A Digital Archive of Slave Voyages Details the Largest Forced Migration in History," 2 May 2017
Before slavery was restricted by the Spanish crown, in 1542, slaving parties scoured Honduras, kidnapping Indians to work plantations, mines, and households.

— douglas preston, The New Yorker, "An Ancient City Emerges in a Remote Rain Forest," 1 Jan. 2017

First Known Use of slave

1602

slave Synonyms

Slave

geographical name \ ˈslāv \

Definition of Slave

river 258 miles (415 kilometers) long in Canada flowing from the western end of Lake Athabasca north into Great Slave Lake

SLAVE Defined for English Language Learners

slave

noun

Definition of slave for English Language Learners

: someone who is legally owned by another person and is forced to work for that person without pay
: a person who is strongly influenced and controlled by something

slave

verb

Definition of slave for English Language Learners

: to work very hard

SLAVE Defined for Kids

slave

noun \ ˈslāv \

Definition of slave for Students

1 :a person who is owned by another person and can be sold at the owner's will

2 :a person who is strongly influenced and controlled by something

a slave to fashion

3 :drudge

slave

verb

Definition of slave for Students

slaved; slaving

:to work very hard, for long hours, or under difficult conditions

… I could only see myself slaving … in the tobacco fields.
—Robert Louis Stevenson, Kidnapped

Learn More about slave

See words that rhyme with slave Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for slave Spanish Central: Translation of slave Nglish: Translation of slave for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of slave for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about slave

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