as in interned
required by a contract to work for a certain period of time
immigrants who came to the U.S. as indentured servants 200 years ago
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Recent Examples of indentured
She was placed as an indentured servant with the Toppan family of Lowell and took their surname, per the Lowell Historical Society and the West End Museum.
—
Christina Coulter, People.com, 16 Aug. 2025
Under Trump, Congress has behaved like an indentured servant rather than an independent agent.
—Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune, 2 July 2025
Among her ancestors: John Howland, who arrived as an indentured servant; Elizabeth Tilley, who was a passenger along with her parents and married Howland three years after arriving; and Richard Warren, who helped explore Cape Cod to find areas to settle.
—Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 27 Nov. 2024
The young man probably arrived from England in the 1630s as a cabin boy or an indentured servant.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Dec. 2023
Both the levelers among the founders and their critics agreed on where the wealth necessary for the new nation would come from: the expropriation of Native Americans, as well as from slave and indentured labor.
—Danielle Allen, Foreign Affairs, 14 Dec. 2015
But most indentured people really weren’t given a choice.
—Logan Jaffe, ProPublica, 19 June 2020
Christina Coulter, People.com, 16 Aug. 2025
Under Trump, Congress has behaved like an indentured servant rather than an independent agent.
—Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune, 2 July 2025
Among her ancestors: John Howland, who arrived as an indentured servant; Elizabeth Tilley, who was a passenger along with her parents and married Howland three years after arriving; and Richard Warren, who helped explore Cape Cod to find areas to settle.
—Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 27 Nov. 2024
The young man probably arrived from England in the 1630s as a cabin boy or an indentured servant.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Dec. 2023
Both the levelers among the founders and their critics agreed on where the wealth necessary for the new nation would come from: the expropriation of Native Americans, as well as from slave and indentured labor.
—Danielle Allen, Foreign Affairs, 14 Dec. 2015
But most indentured people really weren’t given a choice.
—Logan Jaffe, ProPublica, 19 June 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for indentured
Adjective
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In my research, looking at many of the rebellions of enslaved people across the Caribbean, the drum was always used in a ceremony just before.—
Mankaprr Conteh,
Rolling Stone,
23 Aug. 2025
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Notwithstanding our being the descendants of enslaved people.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Corrections officers strap the black-and-blue mask with a plexiglass face shield to the bound inmate, Hood said, removing his glasses and instructing another person present strap the mask tightly to his face, before breathing deeply.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
15 Aug. 2025
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When hurt, damage received is channeled to bound foes.—
Oliver Brandt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The families of Israeli hostages who’ve been held captive since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, are calling for a nationwide strike to protest the Israeli security cabinet’s decision to take over Gaza City.—
Jade Walker,
CNN Money,
12 Aug. 2025
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Already, some captive breeding programs have proven successful at the California Academy of Sciences, Moss Landing Marine Labs, and the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Lab, among others.—
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
5 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Indentured.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/indentured. Accessed 29 Aug. 2025.
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