thrall

noun

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\ ˈthrȯl

plural thralls

Definition of thrall

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a state of servitude or submission —usually used with in in thrall to his emotions

b : a state of complete absorption —usually used with in … mountains could hold me in thrall with a subtle attraction of their own …— Elyne Mitchell

2a : an enslaved person who performs the duties of a servant : bondman also : serf

b : a person in moral or mental servitude

thrall

verb

thralled; thralling; thralls

Definition of thrall (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

archaic

: enthrall, enslave

Other Words from thrall Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Phrases Containing thrall Learn More About thrall

Synonyms & Antonyms for thrall

Synonyms: Noun

Antonyms: Noun

freeman

Examples of thrall in a Sentence

Noun 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 on the Web: Noun Essex Hemphill, James Baldwin, and Isaac Julien, and his œuvre so far seems aesthetically and spiritually in thrall to Marlon Riggs. — Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 22 Apr. 2022 Yet Republicans, still in thrall to Trump – many of whom have signed on to his corrosive lies about election fraud to win the favor of his supporters – appear on course to capture the House, and perhaps the Senate, in midterm elections in the fall. — Stephen Collinson, CNN, 12 Apr. 2022 Other than that detail, Pence, like the rest of the Republican Party, remains in thrall to Trump. — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 1 Apr. 2022 But there’s something about Regency England that has people in its thrall. — Nina Metz, chicagotribune.com, 28 Mar. 2022 She will certainly be alienated from the bulk of Republican voters and media figures who remain in Trump's thrall. — Stephen Collinson, CNN, 12 May 2021 In resurrecting the s-word, Summers is in effect saying that if the Democrats don’t move more aggressively to tackle inflation, an opposition still in thrall to Donald Trump may once again seize power. — Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 16 Mar. 2022 Like Truman, Biden is facing a Republican Party in thrall to a demagogue. — Beverly Gage, The New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2022 Since buying Chelsea in 2003, the Premier League has become more and more in thrall to owners like him. — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 7 Mar. 2022 See More

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.