1
as in servant
a person who is considered the property of another person
many American slaves reached freedom in the North through the network known as the Underground Railroad
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in laborer
a person who does very hard or dull work
unappreciated office slaves who perform the necessary but tedious task of filing paperwork
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to labor
to devote serious and sustained effort
slaving over a hot stove
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 slave
Andrew R. Chow, Time, 26 Sep. 2025
As a young boy growing up in Seville—he was born in 1484—Bartolomé had witnessed the glory heaped on Columbus upon his return from his first cross-Atlantic voyage and heard the stories of islands filled with gold, spices, and potential slaves.
—Greg Grandin
september 23, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2025
Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 4 Aug. 2025
However, the worse the prison’s conditions become — as the workers are forced to slave away on secret Death Star parts with no promise of release — the more Kino is pushed to join Cassian and his brewing prisoner revolt.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slave
Noun
Advertisement As tech leaders deploy strategies and narratives that echo those of colonialism (read Karen Hao for more), the Congo is once again in the crosshairs, with miners harvesting the cobalt that powers smartphones, computers and electric vehicles in slave-like conditions.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 26 Sep. 2025
As a young boy growing up in Seville—he was born in 1484—Bartolomé had witnessed the glory heaped on Columbus upon his return from his first cross-Atlantic voyage and heard the stories of islands filled with gold, spices, and potential slaves.
—Greg Grandin
september 23, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2025
Verb
Defined by exhaustion from slaving away at the ironing board while confronting the latest family crisis, Angela is quite capable of whipping up baloney sandwiches with mayonnaise for all and functions as a wise-cracking, big-hearted den mother.
—Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 4 Aug. 2025
However, the worse the prison’s conditions become — as the workers are forced to slave away on secret Death Star parts with no promise of release — the more Kino is pushed to join Cassian and his brewing prisoner revolt.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slave
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slave
Noun
-
The whole setup looks like a giant creature with an extremely dense and compact body, a long, protruding neck, and an almost-cute face — a little bit like Wall-E, and a little bit like the servant-pet-robot from Red Planet that turns on Val Kilmer and tries to murder him.—
Sophie Ansari,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Of those who stay, more than eighty per cent work in the informal sector—as domestic servants, street hawkers, porters, cleaners.—
Kapil Komireddi,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
This structure, along with Structure II (likely a checkpoint or guard post), was part of the police and guard infrastructure surrounding the laborers’ settlements.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Oct. 2025
-
In the manufacturing, construction and electrical trades, there's a dearth of talent as skilled laborers age out of the workforce without being replaced by younger workers.—
Kate Rogers,
CNBC,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
These women, many of whom worked in relative obscurity for all their lives, labored to redefine the rights and dignity of all people.—
Time,
Time,
22 Sep. 2025
-
Hammond labored 50 hours over a two week span to create her project.—
R. Daniel Foster,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Authorities said the building’s foundation pillars gave way while construction workers were laying down concrete.—
Britt Clennett,
ABC News,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Union workers at the JFK location in North Little Rock participated in a nationwide strike in December 2024.—
Sydney Sasser,
Arkansas Online,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In addition to market volatility, Generation X is struggling with inflation.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
27 Sep. 2025
-
Hudson’s daughter, Ricky (Perry Mattfield), who works as an assistant coach, is a former track star who lost her confidence after an injury and now struggles to get the other Catfish coaches (including her dad) to take her seriously.—
Kristen Baldwin,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Plus, bail bondsmen are the ultimate local rent seekers.—
Dan Gooding
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Aug. 2025
-
Such a bond limits a defendant from relying on a bail bondsman and the use of collateral.—
Perry Vandell,
AZCentral.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
When Volume One of the forecast was released for 2024, the paint brand strived to frame its collection as objectively as possible.—
Tim Nelson,
Architectural Digest,
24 Sep. 2025
-
The true story of Spain’s cricket team striving to qualify for the Olympics, uniting diverse communities through a sport largely unknown in Spain.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The term encomienda refers to a kind of slavery, but indios encomendados, or commended Indians, weren’t considered private property, or chattel.—
Greg Grandin
September 23,
Literary Hub,
23 Sep. 2025
-
Only a racist would dare to defend or dismiss slavery, which stripped Africans of human rights and enslaved them as chattel to pick cotton on Southern plantations.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Slave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slave. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share