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Since jugus means "yoke" in Latin, subjugate means literally "bring under the yoke". Farmers control oxen by means of a heavy wooden yoke over their shoulders. In ancient Rome, conquered soldiers, stripped of their uniforms, might actually be forced to pass under an ox yoke as a sign of submission to the Roman victors. Even without an actual yoke, what happens to a population that has come under the control of another can be every bit as humiliating. In dozens of countries throughout the world, ethnic minorities are denied basic rights and view themselves as subjugated by their country's government, army, and police.
Examples of subjugate in a Sentence
Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Russia’s war against Ukraine has much broader aims than subjugating an independent country.
—Ivo H. Daalder, Foreign Affairs, 10 Sep. 2025
Its propaganda revels in its desire to subjugate small European countries—and celebrates the idea America could soon join it to carve up the continent.
—Peter Pomerantsev, Time, 14 Aug. 2025
All expanded the Russian empire -- and subjugated the people and areas that now form Ukraine.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subjugate
Cite this Entry
“Subjugate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subjugate. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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subjugate
verb
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