slave state

noun

1
: a state of the U.S. in which slavery was legal until the Civil War
2
: a nation subjected to totalitarian rule

Examples of slave state in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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McWorter bought 80 acres for $100 and in 1836 founded New Philadelphia, a promising city of brotherly love, in Pike County, 20 miles from the slave state of Missouri. Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 23 May 2026 Richard Harvey Cain and Robert Brown Elliott were Northerners who did not grow up in slave states. CBS News, 25 Apr. 2026 But Iowans were proud of the state's reputation as the initial non-slave state west of Mississippi. Bill Steiden, Des Moines Register, 24 Mar. 2026 Again, not something a moderate would do, especially in a state that wasn’t a slave state. Sal Rodriguez, Oc Register, 24 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for slave state

Word History

First Known Use

1809, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of slave state was in 1809

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Cite this Entry

“Slave state.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slave%20state. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.

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