ENSLAVE Synonyms: 53 Similar and Opposite Words

enslave

verb

Definition of enslave

as in to annihilate

to take control of and assert authority over

—usually used as (be) enslaved Her ancestors were enslaved during the war.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 enslave Harriet Tubman, along with her brothers Ben and Henry, fled from the plantation in Maryland where they were enslaved. — USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026 Born enslaved near Beaufort, South Carolina, Rivers was one of the first Black men in Union uniform and one of the longest-serving men in the Union army, integral to the formation of the United States Colored Troops. — Gina Webb, AJC.com, 1 Sep. 2026 After 33 years spent in Italy, Mariano Guerra, an Italian doctor, returns to Argentina to testify at the trial against the former military officers who abducted, tortured and enslaved him during the military dictatorship. — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026 The movie follows an Italian doctor, Mariano Guerra, who returns to Argentina after 33 years to testify at the trial against the former military officers who abducted, tortured, and enslaved him during the military dictatorship. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for enslave

Recent Examples of Synonyms for enslave

Verb

Walker will see recurring opportunities to annihilate offensive lines and leave carriers in a heap.

— Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
This powerful dream sequence shows Sarah and the rest of Los Angeles utterly annihilated by a nuclear blast.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of annihilate

Verb

Its compact permanent magnet motor enables a smaller pod diameter, reducing hydrodynamic drag while maintaining high propulsion performance.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026
Advanced transmission technologies can reduce those losses and increase existing network capacity without requiring entirely new lines.

— Nana Menya Ayensu, semafor.com, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of reduce

Verb

To overcome this, the Delft team engineered a lightweight processing pipeline that runs onboard using a mere 34 kilobytes of memory.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026
Edwards doubts that voluntary oversight will overcome the commercial incentives to release their latest, most powerful models.

— Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of overcome

Verb

Lionel Messi scored the 100th goal of his Inter Miami career and Casemiro added another as Miami defeated Cruz Azul 2-0 on Wednesday night to win the Campeones Cup.

— CBS News, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026
That victory in Week 12, was the Chiefs’ last until defeating the Broncos in Week 1 on Monday.

— Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of defeat

Verb

At the center of Putin’s governing intent is subjugating Ukraine and forcing the West to accept that outcome.

— MICHAEL KIMMAGE, Foreign Affairs, 14 Sep. 2026
More generally, the movie, directed by Elegance Bratton, is about the historical context of this murder, the conscious and organized effort by white Southern citizens and officials to intimidate, persecute, and subjugate Black people.

— Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of subjugate

Verb

There was the physician who analyzed the growth rate of his fingernails for 35 years and the geologist who looked into why his colleagues lick rocks.

— Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 4 Sep. 2026
An ancient Nazi scientist (Dan Stevens) crawling across a carpet to lick a woman’s stilettoed foot.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of lick

Verb

Bayern smashed the record for goals in the Bundesliga last season, with 122 in the 34 matches.

— James Horncastle, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Of the 2,977 people who perished on 9/11, 2,753 were lost in the collapse of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center after two hijacked jetliners smashed into them.

— Mike Kelly, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of smash

Verb

Who wouldn’t like to whip out a formula that enabled you to judge this action as evil and the other as merely wrong?

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
Michele plays Darcy Miles, a Pilates Princess and trainer who, when asked to whip her girls into shape, flexes her muscles too hard.

— Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of whip

Browse Nearby Words

enskying

enslave

enslaved

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Enslave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enslave. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of enslave

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

churlish

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes