thrall

noun \ ˈthrȯl \

Definition of thrall

1 a :a state of servitude or submission

in thrall to his emotions

b :a state of complete absorption

mountains could hold me in thrall with a subtle attraction of their own
—Elyne Mitchell

2 a :a servant slave :bondman; also :serf

b :a person in moral or mental servitude

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thrall

adjective

—

thralldom

or thraldom play \ˈthrȯl-dəm\ noun

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Examples of thrall in a Sentence

I'm not your thrall, so you'll have to pick up after yourself.
a people who still bear the scars of having been in thrall for so many years

Recent Examples of thrall from the Web

As the psychologist Stanley Milgram’s experiments on obedience showed — and some governments have learned — a flock in thrall to an authority figure may follow that person anywhere.

— ben kenigsberg, New York Times, "Review: ‘The Teacher,’ a Classroom Satire on Political Corruption," 29 Aug. 2017
Liberals, on the other hand, regarded Mr. Glazunov as an obscurantist, xenophobe and anti-Semite, in thrall to the darkest forces in Russian history.

— william grimes, New York Times, "Ilya Glazunov, Painter Entranced by Russia’s Past, Dies at 87," 12 July 2017
While Europe was in the thrall of air travel, the U.S. had no commercial airlines.

— jon wertheim, SI.com, "Sea of Dreams: How William Wrigley Jr. brought the Wrigley Ocean Marathon to life," 23 June 2017
The circles remain a mystery and are part of the eerie thrall of Namibia.

— amanda jones, latimes.com, "It's Namibia's purity, its untouched qualities, that compel people to visit, then never want to leave," 19 June 2017
The suggestion is that Lee, in thrall to his era, could not have been expected to know better.

— adam serwer, The Atlantic, "Lee's Reputation Can't Be Redeemed," 6 June 2017
The white American underclass is in thrall to a vicious, selfish culture whose main products are misery and used heroin needles.

— nicholas carnes, Washington Post, "It’s time to bust the myth: Most Trump voters were not working class.," 5 June 2017
Ryan Gosling and Rooney Mara in the thrall of a wicked producer (Michael Fassbender).

— gary thompson, Philly.com, "Movies: New and Noteworthy," 21 May 2017
He was criticized heavily for being in thrall of the financial powers of the European Union.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "Here's What You Get When You Put Joe Lieberman in There," 19 May 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of thrall

Middle English thral, from Old English thræl, from Old Norse thræll

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First Known Use: before 12th century

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thrall Synonyms

Synonyms

bondman (also bondsman), chattel, slave

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

thrall

verb

Definition of thrall

transitive verb

archaic

:enthrall, enslave

First Known Use of thrall

13th century

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

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thrall

Definition of thrall

thrall

thralldom

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thrall

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