slaves 1 of 2

plural of slave
1
as in bondsmen
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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2
as in laborers
a person who does very hard or dull work unappreciated office slaves who perform the necessary but tedious task of filing paperwork

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

slaves

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of slave

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 slaves
Noun
Obviously, that spoke to me, because my ancestors were slaves. Kyle Denis, Billboard, 15 Oct. 2025 It was intended to ensure that Black people, including former slaves, had citizenship. Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2025 The web of Atlantic trading routes and solidarity among maritime workers, many of them Black, meant fugitive slaves’ chances of reaching freedom were better below deck than over land. Eric Foner, The New York Review of Books, 2 Oct. 2025 Douglass is not victim of some faint-hearted anxiety about the use of force to free slaves, and to dispatch those who would threaten their freedom or their lives. Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2025 But every lower court that has looked at the issue has concluded that Trump’s order violates or likely violates the 14th Amendment, which was intended to ensure that Black people, including former slaves, had citizenship. Preston Fore, Fortune, 27 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 In the Revolutionary War itself, Britain’s Lord Dunmore had emancipated large numbers of southern slaves as a war measure—a fact well-known in both the 1770s and the 1860s. Akhil Reed Amar, Time, 22 Sep. 2025 In Joseon society, both faced systematic oppression – the seoja class was barred from government positions, while slaves, comprising up to 60% of the population, were bound for life along with their children. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slaves
Noun
  • This film exposes the harsh contrast between the lives of people who enjoy cutting-edge technology in Silicon Valley and the laborers in the Global South who teach the machines to see.
    Matthew Carey, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Finding enough workers to fill open landscaping positions has long been a struggle, even when firms can bring in foreign laborers.
    Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 12 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Surrounded by servants, crystal chandeliers, and endless parties, his daughters Olivia and Helen, and their friends, are finding their way and finding love—even where they’re not supposed to, according to the logline.
    Denise Petski, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2025
  • In the trailer, Bettany walks up to a white mansion and is greeted by human servants who are really just recreated AI programs.
    Jordan Moreau, Variety, 11 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Military members, along with all other federal workers, typically receive back pay after shutdowns end.
    David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Instead, authorities will have to interview other workers who were not there and who may offer insight into the conditions, Chittum said.
    Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Prince of Darkness died in Birmingham, England, on July 22 at 76 years old, leaving behind a legacy as a legendary heavy metal rock performer who, after years of various headline-worthy antics and struggles with addiction, made his foray into reality TV.
    KiMi Robinson, USA Today, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Dane, who revealed in April that he had been diagnosed with ALS, will appear as Matthew in episode 209, a heroic firefighter who struggles to share his ALS diagnosis with his family.
    Denise Petski, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Plus, bail bondsmen are the ultimate local rent seekers.
    Dan Gooding Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The goalie, who strives to be in the Vezina Trophy conversation year after year and to lead the Wild to a Stanley Cup, loves Minnesota and loves playing for the Wild, in large part because of the defensive structure in front of him.
    Michael Russo, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Yet Leto never shakes the role’s robotic nature, even as his character strives to become more human, and his acting partners struggle to play off that in a meaningful way.
    David Sims, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Darwent works with three other teachers.
    George Caulkin, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • That introduced me to works like Hiroshima, Mon Amour, The Battle of Algiers, and Claude Lanzmann’s Shoah, which really show how cinema can radically change how an entire nation sees itself.
    Zac Ntim, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Slaves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slaves. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.

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