as in slavery
the state of being an enslaved person
people freed from bondage
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Recent Examples of bondage
But as the nineteenth century plodded onward, abolitionists had developed increasingly persuasive arguments for emancipation, provoking slaveowners to answer with a vicious theory of Black inferiority to defend bondage.
—
Literary Hub, 5 June 2025
The townsite lasted for six years, and its legacy as a safe harbor for enslaved runaways escaping bondage only began to emerge in 1882, when the former co-editor of Quindaro’s newspaper published a memoir in the Wyandotte Gazette.
—Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 14 May 2025
Like many migrant workers in the industry, the four were hired by recruiting firms which withheld large portions of their salaries as repayment for administrative costs in a practice known as debt bondage, leaving them with little to no pay, the lawsuit says.
—Lex Harvey, CNN, 21 Mar. 2025
Slavery was protected by law, and the Fugitive Slave Act criminalized helping people escape bondage.
—Tom Debley, Mercury News, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for bondage
Literary Hub, 5 June 2025
The townsite lasted for six years, and its legacy as a safe harbor for enslaved runaways escaping bondage only began to emerge in 1882, when the former co-editor of Quindaro’s newspaper published a memoir in the Wyandotte Gazette.
—Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 14 May 2025
Like many migrant workers in the industry, the four were hired by recruiting firms which withheld large portions of their salaries as repayment for administrative costs in a practice known as debt bondage, leaving them with little to no pay, the lawsuit says.
—Lex Harvey, CNN, 21 Mar. 2025
Slavery was protected by law, and the Fugitive Slave Act criminalized helping people escape bondage.
—Tom Debley, Mercury News, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for bondage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bondage
slavery
Noun
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In 2022, Musk was accused of corporate slavery, perpetuating work abuse and job burnout.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
4 Aug. 2025
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While many narratives about Black Americans from this time period focus on southern sharecroppers and other cultural offshoots of slavery, The Gilded Age offers a peek inside another facet of Black life.—
Evan Nicole Brown,
Architectural Digest,
25 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bondage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bondage. Accessed 24 Aug. 2025.
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