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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of slave
Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 23 Aug. 2025
Most of their artifacts are letters or other documents such as slave contracts, death certificates, baptismal records and police reports involving Chinese laborers who immigrated to Cuba in the 1800s.
—Russ Wiles, AZCentral.com, 23 Aug. 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
About 11 percent of Africans brought to Grenada as slaves between 1669 and 1808 are believed to have been Sierra Leonean, like my parents, whose direct lineage avoided the ships by grace alone.
—Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 23 Aug. 2025
Most of their artifacts are letters or other documents such as slave contracts, death certificates, baptismal records and police reports involving Chinese laborers who immigrated to Cuba in the 1800s.
—Russ Wiles, AZCentral.com, 23 Aug. 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
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He was inspired by an early scene from the TV show, when the estate’s staff hosted a servant’s ball at Christmastime.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
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Since 2010, fans have followed the family of the Earl of Grantham, Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville), and their servants through six television seasons and three films.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the city has seen a decline in large scale construction projects, leaving many laborers without steady, long-term employment.—
Karina Tsui,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
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Local 724, the Hollywood laborers’ group, in a landmark election that took place Friday.—
Katie Kilkenny,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Chiefs players spent training camp laboring at hot, humid Missouri Western State University.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
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During that season Clark was laboring to teach all his defensive linemen a new technique to use, and players would have to film themselves working on it, and send it into the coaches.—
Omar Kelly
August 23,
Miami Herald,
23 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Rural farmers could receive payments, urban workers could send money home and millions joined the formal economy for the first time.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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It’s gotten so bad that, in one of the largest H-2A criminal cases ever, a federal judge described the abuse of these workers as a form of modern-day slavery.—
Max Blau,
ProPublica,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Traditional data lakes can store raw data at scale but lack quality controls, while warehouses enforce structure but struggle with unstructured or fast changing data.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
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Almost half of those who abided by boundaries (45%) reported low burnout, compared to 6% of those who struggled to do so.—
Samantha Dewalt,
Fortune,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Plus, bail bondsmen are the ultimate local rent seekers.—
Dan Gooding
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Aug. 2025
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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
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Chronic striving has its downsides, though.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
11 Sep. 2025
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When multiple businesses strive to outdo each other, the result is better products, improved services and more choices for consumers.—
Levi King,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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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
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Laws intended to prevent excessive exploitation went mostly unenforced in the rural northwest, allowing the continuation of what was virtually a chattel system in which workers could be bought, sold, and transported freely.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
7 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Slave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slave. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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