To save this word, you'll need to log in.
Definition of slave
(Entry 1 of 4)
slave
verbslaved; slaving
Definition of slave (Entry 2 of 4)
slave
adjectiveDefinition of slave (Entry 3 of 4)
1a : of, relating to, involving, or used for slaves or slavery
slave traders a slave auction slave owners a slave economy Many authentic slave narratives were influenced by Harriet Beecher Stowe; on the other hand, authentic slave narratives were among Stowe's primary sources for her own imaginative work, Uncle Tom's Cabin.— Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
b : held in or forced into servitude : enslaved born of slave parents slave workers
c : favoring or legally permitting slavery
a slave territory the slave states
2 : operated by remote control
the device now tucked away behind the dials isn't properly a clockwork but a … slave unit activated by an electric clock inside the bank — The New Yorker specifically : responding to manipulation of the master controls of an apparatus There's also provision for attaching external slave flash units for greater flash range when using print film. — Herbert Keppler … had the ultimate compact-disc system—a master machine and four optional slave machines—that will load and play 250 discs altogether … — William D. Marbach
Slave
geographical nameDefinition of Slave (Entry 4 of 4)
river 258 miles (415 kilometers) long in Canada flowing from the western end of Lake Athabasca north into Great Slave Lake
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Test Your Vocabulary
Great Scrabble Words—A Quiz
- Which of the following Q-without-U words means the number five in cards or dice?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
Great Scrabble Words—A Quiz
Words to improve your Scrabble game
Take the quizSemantic Drift Quiz
A challenging quiz of changing words.
Take the quizSpell It
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
Take the quizCitation
Do you know the person or title these quotes describe?
Play the game
Share slave
Time Traveler for slave
The first known use of slave was in the 14th century
See more words from the same century