1
as in servant
a person who is considered the property of another person
many American slaves reached freedom in the North through the network known as the Underground Railroad
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in laborer
a person who does very hard or dull work
unappreciated office slaves who perform the necessary but tedious task of filing paperwork
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to labor
to devote serious and sustained effort
slaving over a hot stove
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of slave
Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 3 Jan. 2026
The captives perch preciously on the head of a slave trader who looks straight ahead, indifferent to the others’ suffering.
—James Meyer, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025
Defined by exhaustion from slaving away at the ironing board while confronting the latest family crisis, Angela is quite capable of whipping up baloney sandwiches with mayonnaise for all and functions as a wise-cracking, big-hearted den mother.
—Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slave
Noun
Even with Lincoln’s executive order proclaiming freedom for the slaves, the practice continued until the war was completed.
—Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 3 Jan. 2026
The captives perch preciously on the head of a slave trader who looks straight ahead, indifferent to the others’ suffering.
—James Meyer, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
Verb
After two years away on loan while Leeds were slaving away in the second tier, the winger has returned to find his old No 11 shirt in Brenden Aaronson’s possession.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025
Defined by exhaustion from slaving away at the ironing board while confronting the latest family crisis, Angela is quite capable of whipping up baloney sandwiches with mayonnaise for all and functions as a wise-cracking, big-hearted den mother.
—Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slave
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slave
Noun
-
The journalists who rushed to the scene managed to jot down the names of about a dozen—the VIPs (there were three members of parliament on the train that day, which was a factor in the disaster) and a couple of servants.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Some of the girls were hired as servants in the homes of higher-status Burghers, though Rustin refused on principle to consider it.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Mayor Bass also secured 17 positions for supply and maintenance staffing, including heavy-duty mechanics, mechanic helpers, tire repairers, maintenance laborers, toolroom workers, truck operators and more.—
Jeff Nguyen,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
-
An illiterate laborer and cook, Lee joined the Shaking Quaker sect in 1758.—
Claire Messud,
Vogue,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Lahmeyer, the Oklahoma pastor, said pastors and Christian leaders often labor under the burden of expectations.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The team labored in home losses to Houston and the Los Angeles Chargers, with Mahomes ultimately suffering a season-ending ACL injury in the fourth quarter of that setback against the Chargers.—
Jesse Newell,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Plus, bail bondsmen are the ultimate local rent seekers.—
Dan Gooding
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Aug. 2025
-
Such a bond limits a defendant from relying on a bail bondsman and the use of collateral.—
Perry Vandell,
AZCentral.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The same Georgia plant where Hyundai plans to test out Atlas was the site of a federal immigration raid last year that led to the arrests of hundreds of workers, including more than 300 South Korean citizens.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Karmen Black, a licensed social worker and Minneapolis resident, received the Heroic Act Award from the United States Lifesaving Association on Monday during a ceremony at Minneapolis Fire Station 5.—
Nick Lunemann,
CBS News,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
And problems continue despite the flight cancellations designed to relieve stress on controllers struggling to deal with the shutdown.—
Emma Tucker,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Entry-level workers experiment freely and the C-suite sees strategic value, yet middle managers often struggle to bridge the gap.—
Feon Ang,
Fortune,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Patriarchal cultures reduce women to economic dependence, treating them as a form of chattel to be traded among families.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Nov. 2025
-
There was no forgetting the notorious Confederate prison camps like Andersonville and Salisbury, the Confederate pogrom at Fort Pillow, and the fact that the South had seceded in the first place to perpetuate and expand an elite-serving economy based on human chattel.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Mike, played by a rangy, companionable Hugh Jackman, is a striving singer in Milwaukee who has battled the bottle, cannot consistently pay his mortgage, and keeps himself going by appearing at the state fair dressed up to look (and sound) like Don Ho.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Everybody loves putting on those Nora Efron classics, and the filmmakers here were striving to make something that was a modern answer to those that was in discussion with When Harry Met Sally and those greats.—
Nicole Fell,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Slave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slave. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share