as in reducing
to take control of and assert authority over
—usually used as (be) enslaved
Her ancestors were enslaved during the war.
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Recent Examples of enslaving
The existential risk of AI wiping out humans or enslaving us could be predicated on our laziness and lack of concern about small signs.
—
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
The story is built around Kitana’s childhood trauma of losing her father to the evil Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford), who has taken over her home realm of Edenia, enslaving her mother as his zombie consort, Sindel (Ana Thu Nguyen).
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 8 May 2026
Some Connecticut towns have brought history out in the open by researching and sharing information about its history with regard to enslaving people.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 27 Apr. 2026
Advertisement Du Bois, for example, published a pageant—a common form for sharing lessons from Washington’s life during his bicentennial—that placed Washington’s enslaving front and center.
—John Garrison Marks, Time, 7 Apr. 2026
Aisuru and Kimwolf work by first infecting vulnerable online devices, enslaving them into a network of hijacked computers.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 20 Mar. 2026
Historical accounts describe Sutter, a Swiss immigrant and early California settler, as enslaving Indigenous people and forcing tribes to work in inhumane and sometimes deadly conditions.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 1 Mar. 2026
The two-minute finale offered a riveting display in a nation that prides itself as being founded and enriched by immigrants, alongside an ugly history of enslaving millions of them and limiting who can come in.
—Laurie Kellman, Fortune, 5 Dec. 2025
In this era, several justifications were offered for enslaving Africans.
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
The story is built around Kitana’s childhood trauma of losing her father to the evil Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford), who has taken over her home realm of Edenia, enslaving her mother as his zombie consort, Sindel (Ana Thu Nguyen).
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 8 May 2026
Some Connecticut towns have brought history out in the open by researching and sharing information about its history with regard to enslaving people.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 27 Apr. 2026
Advertisement Du Bois, for example, published a pageant—a common form for sharing lessons from Washington’s life during his bicentennial—that placed Washington’s enslaving front and center.
—John Garrison Marks, Time, 7 Apr. 2026
Aisuru and Kimwolf work by first infecting vulnerable online devices, enslaving them into a network of hijacked computers.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 20 Mar. 2026
Historical accounts describe Sutter, a Swiss immigrant and early California settler, as enslaving Indigenous people and forcing tribes to work in inhumane and sometimes deadly conditions.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 1 Mar. 2026
The two-minute finale offered a riveting display in a nation that prides itself as being founded and enriched by immigrants, alongside an ugly history of enslaving millions of them and limiting who can come in.
—Laurie Kellman, Fortune, 5 Dec. 2025
In this era, several justifications were offered for enslaving Africans.
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enslaving
Verb
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The price tag comes from the California State Auditor’s report that was issued last fall, which found that maintaining similar telework policies could potentially save $225 million annually by reducing the government’s office space footprint.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
6 June 2026
-
An April 2026 analysis identified 446 hospitals across 44 states at high risk of closing or reducing services because of Medicaid funding cuts.—
Jesse Pines,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
Verb
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The Spurs clinched their spot in the championship round after outlasting Oklahoma City, defeating the defending champs on the Thunder’s home floor in Game 7 on Saturday.—
Tim Rohan,
NBC news,
1 June 2026
-
Two weeks later, Barr walked away with the GOP nomination, defeating the other major Republican competitor, former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, by a 2-to-1 margin.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
If Neptune did have an original set of moons that more closely resembled those of its planetary neighbors, the arrival of Triton — which is just smaller than our own moon — would have wreaked havoc, crashing into the other satellites and annihilating some of them.—
Jacopo Prisco,
CNN Money,
20 May 2026
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Now southern Republicans are annihilating Black political power.—
Adam Serwer,
The Atlantic,
19 May 2026
Verb
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One lawmaker Lackey’s unofficial bill title wasn’t lost upon was Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, D-Jefferson Park, a lawmaker who has spoken publicly about overcoming systemic barriers in his own life as a Black man and has centered his political career largely on criminal justice reform.—
Andrew Graham
May 28,
Sacbee.com,
28 May 2026
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That’s because the Phillies (29-27) stand as a serious threat in the wild-card races, and overcoming the Dodgers in the West race just isn’t realistic.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Likewise, meekness once meant not becoming weak, but subjugating power to reason – not letting anger take control.—
Timothy J. Pawl,
The Conversation,
23 Feb. 2026
-
However, once Hernán Cortés triumphed, the conquistadors went from waging war — vanquishing the Aztecs — to the project of subjugating Indigenous holdouts and building a self-sustaining territory loyal to the crown.—
Foreign Correspondent,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That legacy includes crushing both hyperinflation and the Maoist insurgents of the Shining Path, who bathed Peru in blood in the 1980s and 1990s.—
Simeon Tegel,
NPR,
6 June 2026
-
Less than two minutes later, Messi lost the ball near the halfway line and a France move ended with a sumptuous, crushing Mbappe volley hitting the back of the net.—
Will Jeanes,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
Verb
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Throughout the record, the image of Petras’ life in freefall recurs, giving the record a sense of hair-whipping freedom and heart-stopping urgency.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
2 June 2026
-
In baseball news, Screencaps the III got his very first legitimate hit of the season by lacing one over the second baseman's head last night with winds whipping 20-25 mph off Lake Erie.—
Joe Kinsey OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
22 May 2026
Verb
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Even small exposures—such as licking pollen off fur or drinking water from a vase containing lilies—can be toxic.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
15 May 2026
-
Vietnamese-style sweet-and-spicy chicken wings are a hot, finger-licking mess.—
Brock Keeling,
Oc Register,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Enslaving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enslaving. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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