slave 1 of 2

noun

ˈslāv How to pronounce slave (audio)
Definition of slavenext
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

slave

2 of 2

verb

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
Noun
Refraining from doing wrong solely to avoid punishment is the virtue of a slave. — Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026 Jefferson, who often posted rewards or hired slave catchers to return those who escaped, did not attempt to recover either. — Andrew Lawler, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2026
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
  1. servant
  2. laborer
  3. labor
  4. bondman
  5. worker
  6. struggle
  7. chattel
  8. strive
Noun
  • The remains of these servants, or retainers, were first excavated from the funerary complexes at Abydos, eastern Egypt, which date from around 3000 BC, in the 1920s.
    — Jack Guy, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Astonishingly, a servant’s wages amounted to only $3,750 to $4,500 per year.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of servant
Noun
  • In the previous decades, Japan had brought in many Korean, Chinese, and Taiwanese laborers, often under duress, to work in factories and mines, usually in atrocious conditions.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • When his son suddenly turns up alive and well, Mark and his psychiatrist wife, Abigail (Kerry Washington), realize that the kidnapper accidentally took the child of Ramón (Luis Gerardo Méndez), their housekeeper’s undocumented day-laborer boyfriend.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of laborer
Verb
  • The circumstances of Saint Michael’s help while the pilgrim labored and delivered in the ocean were markedly different from those in the miracle ascribed to the Virgin.
    — Ellen O’Connell Whittet, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Strange, yes, but definitely more memorable than an accountant in green eyeshade laboring over the books.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of labor
Noun
  • The judge at the time amended his bond to $3 million cash only, meaning he would only be released by providing the full amount and not having the sum guaranteed by a bondsman.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Megan Showers' bond was set at $20,000, but the judge gave her the ability to pay 10% through a bail bondsman, prosecutors said.
    — James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of bondman
Noun
  • As part of orchestrating this project, Simon was also involved in securing visas for the various international performers, encountering in the process the uneven access to travel for cultural workers across classes, nationalities, and milieus.
    — Stephanie Wambugu, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The headman is compromised, an NGO in the area is pursuing its own politics, and the man running the mine discloses that Nengsal was never on the books, leaving workers like him invisible on their own land.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of worker
Verb
  • Specifically, Nico Iamaleava struggled, fumbling once and throwing interceptions to Oregon’s Koi Perich and Jerry Mixon.
    — Elias Esquivel, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Moon, meanwhile, is struggling at school but on the precipice of adulthood; as the young woman begins to make her own decisions in life, Yue must relinquish a degree of maternal responsibility.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of struggle
Noun
  • Men were masters over their women, their chattel, and their emotions.
    — Rob Wolfe, The Atlantic, 5 June 2026
  • The law turned human beings into chattel, allowing them to be worked, beaten, sold, raped and killed — and France never formally did away with it.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 May 2026
Definition of chattel
Verb
  • Local government and outside groups have long strived to ban the popular tourist attraction that critics argue is harmful to horses’ well-being.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Stores plan to be thriving Hispanic community hubs Amor Collective will strive to be an event space beyond just meetings and workshops.
    — Terry Tang, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of strive

Phrases Containing slave

Browse Nearby Words

slaughters
slave
slaved
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Slave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slave. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of syncretic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 16
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All