enslave

verb

Definition of enslavenext
as in to annihilate
to take control of and assert authority over
—usually used as (be) enslaved Her ancestors were enslaved during the war.

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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 On March 31, 1817, New York lawmakers passed legislation declaring that every person still legally enslaved in the state would become free on July 4, 1827. — Tunisia Morrison, New York Daily News, 5 July 2026 The organization's ultimate goal is to identify the names of all 10 million people who were enslaved in North America whose names have been lost to history, in order to bring dignity to the enslaved and to create family connections for the living. — Melia Patria, ABC News, 4 July 2026 Prince Whipple Prince Whipple of Portsmouth, New Hampshire was a man enslaved by William Whipple, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. — Catherine Messier, The Providence Journal, 4 July 2026 Gálvez was the Spanish governor of Louisiana whose troops, including Spaniards, Spanish Americans, American Indians, and Black people, both enslaved and free, defeated the British in Florida. — Geraldo L. Cadava, The Atlantic, 3 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for enslave
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enslave
  1. annihilate
  2. reduce
  3. overcome
  4. defeat
  5. subjugate
  6. lick
  7. smash
  8. whip
Verb
  • And that’s a lot of energy to shed as a vehicle comes blaring back into Earth’s thick atmosphere, a process that typically annihilates objects returning from space unless they are precisely designed to survive the trip.
    — Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
  • As an arachnid alien-annihilating action game, Helldivers seems like the perfect recipe for a popcorn flick.
    — Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 15 July 2026
Definition of annihilate
Verb
  • Derived from a Central African shrub, the drug's ability to reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings were uncovered by accident, when Howard Lotsof, a 19-year old addicted to heroin, tried ibogaine out of curiosity in 1962.
    — Gavin Escott, USA Today, 6 July 2026
  • Displaying tactical discipline and superior talent, the English national team defeated Mexico 3-2 with a lineup reduced to 10 men on Sunday night.
    — Eduard Cauich, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
Definition of reduce
Verb
  • Democrats have been struggling to overcome disarray in other messy primaries across this year’s midterm calendar.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 July 2026
  • Ding said optical interconnects are becoming essential for overcoming the scalability limits of conventional server architectures.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 18 July 2026
Definition of overcome
Verb
  • Calypso had been banished to live on the island of Ogygia after the Olympians defeated the Titans long ago.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 18 July 2026
  • Tiffany Stratton qualified by defeating Jacy Jayne, while Jade Cargill advanced via disqualification against Nia Jax after Charlotte Flair's interference.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026
Definition of defeat
Verb
  • In a country like India, subjugated early in the history of capitalist imperialism, and then bullied after independence by the West, a degree of self-renunciation and collective sacrifice was widely understood to be requisite to economic and political self-strengthening.
    — Wyatt Williams, Harpers Magazine, 2 June 2026
  • This campy, reality-shifting comedy series questions what would happen if a flaming misogynist woke up in a world that was completely matriarchal and subjugated men based on their gender.
    — Madeleine Janz, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026
Definition of subjugate
Verb
  • Grande licked one of them, and fans were immediately outraged by the moment.
    — Giovana Gelhoren, InStyle, 16 July 2026
  • Some of the flames come close to licking the glass, as the wildfire blows across the tracks.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 15 July 2026
Definition of lick
Verb
  • One tree not only uprooted a sidewalk but also smashed a parked car.
    — Madeleine Wright, CBS News, 13 July 2026
  • The settlers then began to jump on the vehicle behind CNN’s — carrying another group of journalists — and smashed the windshield of that vehicle.
    — Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
Definition of smash
Verb
  • Once Turek has finished writhing about on the floor in a shambolic attempt to gather, Czibor is on hand to whip the ball away and tuck it home from six yards, the simplest of tasks.
    — Adam Hurrey, New York Times, 17 July 2026
  • Zeus and Poseidon are at it again—one hurling thunderbolts, the other whipping the sea into a frenzy.
    — Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026
Definition of whip

Browse Nearby Words

enskying
enslave
enslaved
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Enslave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enslave. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

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