slave 1 of 2

noun

ˈslāv How to pronounce slave (audio)
Definition of slavenext
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

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

slave

2 of 2

verb

as in to labor
to devote serious and sustained effort slaving over a hot stove

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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
Noun
Diving With a Purpose, an underwater-archeology program committed to uncovering these slave shipwrecks, encouraged Baxter to start diving for history. — Amara Evering, Miami Herald, 11 July 2026 See The Sight Of John Brown's Raid Near the rivers sits the original armory guard house, where in 1859, abolitionist John Brown led a legendary but ultimately unsuccessful slave revolt. — Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 11 July 2026
Verb
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 However, the worse the prison’s conditions become — as the workers are forced to slave away on secret Death Star parts with no promise of release — the more Kino is pushed to join Cassian and his brewing prisoner revolt. — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for slave
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slave
  1. servant
  2. laborer
  3. labor
  4. bondman
  5. worker
  6. struggle
  7. chattel
  8. strive
Noun
  • Bos, in a far cry from his cerebral Hamlet, embraces the physical comedy of dual supporting roles, the Jeeves-like butler Lane and the Cockney servant Merriman.
    — Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026
  • Yet his truest education came from the palace sweepers—the humble monk-servants who raised him.
    — Charlie Campbell, Time, 9 July 2026
Definition of servant
Noun
  • On July 1, a laborer was working in a trench about 10 feet deep in Livingston County, tying down an industrial storage tank, when the trench collapsed, trapping him.
    — Joseph Buczek, CBS News, 13 July 2026
  • His articles argued that migrant laborers were essential to California agriculture yet often faced hostility, poverty and unsafe living conditions.
    — James Ward, USA Today, 10 July 2026
Definition of laborer
Verb
  • That doesn’t mean the subscription businesses that media companies labored to build will collapse, Cohen said.
    — Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 7 July 2026
  • But others are still at work, laboring under a new collective bargaining agreement with another labor organization, the International Longshoremen’s Association.
    — Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
Definition of labor
Noun
  • That is the standard set for bringing weapons and cellphones into a secure area, safeguarding department property, monitoring the radio, misusing department letterhead, badges or insignia, secondary employment violations, and recommending bondsmen or attorneys to inmates.
    — Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 29 May 2026
  • Kim Kardashian, who has advocated for prison reform, paid the bondsman to have Glossip released, her publicist told The Oklahoman.
    — Karina Tsui, CNN Money, 15 May 2026
Definition of bondman
Noun
  • Buses come and go, bearing workers from all over the country.
    — Cristina Dorador, The Dial, 14 July 2026
  • Childs has been running Bectu, which represents the interests of behind-the-camera workers across TV, film and theater, since 2018, overseeing 10,000 new subscribers and an expansion into areas like live events and fashion.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 14 July 2026
Definition of worker
Verb
  • Goldin, who also spent last season on a two-way contract with the Heat after going undrafted last year out of Michigan, struggled in Monday’s summer league loss.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 14 July 2026
  • Turkey struggled against the USMNT’s corners throughout the game, with multiple chances created from outswinging corners towards the penalty spot.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 14 July 2026
Definition of struggle
Noun
  • Men were masters over their women, their chattel, and their emotions.
    — Rob Wolfe, The Atlantic, 5 June 2026
  • The law turned human beings into chattel, allowing them to be worked, beaten, sold, raped and killed — and France never formally did away with it.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 May 2026
Definition of chattel
Verb
  • In McBride’s work, collections of idiots and unlikable misfits strive for power and achievement and are inevitably foiled by their own flaws.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 16 July 2026
  • Never forgetting your past, but also living in the present, and always striving to do more in the future.
    — Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 16 July 2026
Definition of strive

Phrases Containing slave

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slaved
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Cite this Entry

“Slave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slave. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of slave for Spanish Speakers

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