slave

noun \ ˈslāv \

Updated on: 21 Apr 2018

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

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

Da Silva, who runs the Paradise Farm’s association, denied authorities’ assertions that the farms use slave labor.

— Washington Post, "This Brazilian pastor said he was saving souls. Police say he ran a slave-labor ring.," 14 Apr. 2018
Most of the Siddi people were brought to India as slaves, first by Arabs and then by Portuguese and British colonizers who traveled to the country, according to Stuart.

— National Geographic, "How This African-American Filmmaker Was Inspired By African Indians," 13 Apr. 2018
The previously-married Markle is also biracial, descended on her mother’s side from slaves, which makes her more than a little exotic in the context of the all-white Windsor clan.

— mark shanahan, BostonGlobe.com, "Who cares about the royals? But Meghan Markle . . .," 11 Apr. 2018
The tree includes major branches for slavemakers, species without slaves, and parasitic species that exploit foreign workers on a temporary basis.

— erica tennenhouse, Science | AAAS, "How blood-red ants became slave snatchers," 11 Apr. 2018
She was refused permission for her Guli brand to attend New York fashion shows because the clothing used Uzbek cotton, produced with slave labor.

— rod nordland, New York Times, "Where Is Googoosha, the Missing Uzbek First Daughter?," 4 Apr. 2018
Concerns about overseas farmed seafood – particularly about the most popular seafood, shrimp – have been well documented, from unsanitary conditions and pollution, to the use of slave labor.

— debbie moose, charlotteobserver, "NC’s waters offer so much seafood goodness. Open your eyes, and plates, to it. | Charlotte Observer," 3 Apr. 2018
The crack of the overseer's whip, the baying of the bloodhounds, the guns in the hands of bounty hunters looking for runaway slaves, all served to remind the audience of the pain and troubles faced by those running north to freedom.

— denise coffey, Courant Community, ""Freedom Train" Pulls Into Center For The Arts," 3 Apr. 2018
His mother, Emilia Regina, was likely to have been a first- or second-generation slave, but the precise details of her origins are unknown.

— cathleen o'grady, Ars Technica, "DNA from an escaped slave who ended up in Iceland ID’d in his descendants," 16 Jan. 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

slave Synonyms

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

Both of the game's Windows SKUs were given new life pretty much entirely by Steam Workshop contributors who slaved away at texture packs, recoloring efforts, and other quality-of-life tweaks.

— sam machkovech, Ars Technica, "Skyrim VR is coming to PC, and it marks a Bethesda first: Oculus approval [Updated]," 14 Mar. 2018
Neither Foster or Meaher were ever convicted of the crime of slaving, though Meaher was arrested at one point for his role, and Foster was forced to pay a $1,000 fine for failing to register in port after an international trip.

— ben raines, AL.com, "Wreck found by reporter may be last American slave ship, archaeologists say," 23 Jan. 2018
The University of Mississippi is acknowledging its historical connections to slave labor, slave owners and officials who set policies that stripped African Americans of voting rights after the Civil War.

— Washington Post, "Ole Miss acknowledges its use of slave labor," 7 Mar. 2018
The journal of William Foster, the captain of the Clotilda, provides a detailed historical document regarding the slaving operations in Dahomey at the time of his journey.

— connor sheets, AL.com, "Hamilton woman dies in one-car crash in Frankiln County," 18 Feb. 2018
My mom was always slaving away in the kitchen with my grandma.

— as told to jonathan kauffman and tara duggan, San Francisco Chronicle, "A collection of Christmas memories from Bay Area food people," 21 Dec. 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," 1 May 2017
That's way easier than slaving over all those hand-calligraphed Kiss on the Lips party invitations.

— hannah orenstein, Seventeen, "23 Ways "Gossip Girl" Would Be Different in 2017," 19 Sep. 2017
Perfect for: Anyone who loves trying new ways of cooking, hates slaving over a hot stove, and likes to prep large meals.

— samantha gordon, USA TODAY, "The 2 most popular Instant Pots are both 20% off on Amazon right now," 27 Oct. 2017

First Known Use of slave

1602

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

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slave Synonyms

Synonyms

bang away, dig (away), drudge, endeavor, grub, hump, hustle, labor, moil, peg (away), plod, plow, plug, slog, strain, strive, struggle, sweat, toil, travail, tug, work;

Near Antonyms

break, ease (up), let up, slacken;

bum, chill, dally, dillydally, goof (off), hack (around), hang (around or out), idle, laze, loaf, lounge, shirk, slack (off), veg out;

bask, loll, relax, repose, rest, unwind;

dabble, doodle, fool around, goof (around), hang, mess around, monkey (around), play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle;

attack, drive;

essay, try;

exercise, exert, overexert, overwork;

eke out, grind (out), put out, scrabble, scratch;

trudge, wade;

Phrases

sweat blood;

slave

adjective

Definition of slave

1 a : 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

First Known Use of slave

1576

in the meaning defined at sense 1b

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

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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slave

Definition of slave

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Origin and Etymology of slave

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Other Government and Politics Terms

slave

Definition of slave

Examples of slave in a Sentence

Recent Examples of slave from the Web

First Known Use of slave

slave Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Phrases

slave

Definition of slave

First Known Use of slave

Slave

Definition of Slave

Phrases Related to SLAVE

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SLAVE Defined for English Language Learners

slave

Definition of slave for English Language Learners

slave

Definition of slave for English Language Learners

SLAVE Defined for Kids

slave

Definition of slave for Students

slave

Definition of slave for Students

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