slaves 1 of 2

noun

plural of slave
1
as in servants
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 laborers
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

slaves

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of slave
as in labors
to devote serious and sustained effort slaving over a hot stove

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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 slaves
Noun
Talladega College Founded in 1867 by former slaves, Talladega's campus is home to celebrated murals by Hale Woodruff depicting the 1839 Amistad slave ship rebellion. — Asia Alexander, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026 The notion of zombies went back to that Caribbean nation’s days as a European colony, when huge numbers of largely African slaves were brutally disciplined and frequently worked to death by a white-settler minority. — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 31 July 2026 The rugby union side’s is ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’, originally an African-American hymn sung by slaves in the United States in the mid-19th century. — George Edwards, New York Times, 31 July 2026 The black slaves from Guinea and Angola have demanded to be well treated, threatening to refuse to have children. — Kari Traylor, JSTOR Daily, 29 July 2026 In the mid-nineteenth century, the abolitionist Henrietta Bowers Duterte operated an Underground Railroad stop in her Philadelphia funeral home, hiding fugitive slaves in coffins. — John Semley, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026 There is a case in the exhibit’s second gallery dedicated to this topic, including a list of slaves who landed in Cuba. — Kaitlyn Harvey, AJC.com, 23 July 2026 New York Life Insurance Company, Aetna Life Insurance Company and American International Group, commonly referred to as AIG, were some of the businesses that listed previously disclosed ties to slaves and slaveholders. — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 22 July 2026 Notably, this happens after Odysseus slaughters Penelope’s suitors and tells Telemachus to kill the female slaves who have slept with them. — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 17 July 2026
Verb
Things are equally akilter in his family’s home, with his mother now sitting on the couch watching TV while his father slaves away in the kitchen. — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slaves
  1. servants
  2. laborers
  3. labors
  4. bondmen
  5. workers
  6. struggles
  7. strives
  8. works
Noun
  • The fantasy series’ new season will also introduce the dread Nazgnagôl, Sauron’s Second Age ring-servants.
    — Debbie Day, Entertainment Weekly, 24 July 2026
  • Then, the families of the slain suitors assemble and vow revenge, clashing with Odysseus, Telemachus, Laertes and the loyal servants — only to have Athena intervene and abruptly put a stop to the fighting.
    — Marlow Stern, Variety, 17 July 2026
Definition of servants
Noun
  • Lines spill down the block after prayer, with laborers and millionaires alike waiting to pair it with two-riyal fava beans from the fawal, or cafeteria, beside the bakery.
    — Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 29 July 2026
  • Part of the promise of pro-worker AI is to create new tasks, which in many cases will demand that laborers learn new skills.
    — Daron Acemoglu, The Atlantic, 28 July 2026
Definition of laborers
Verb
  • Every man and woman who labors in the construction industry deserves that.
    — Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 5 Mar. 2026
Definition of labors
Noun
  • That is the standard set for bringing weapons and cellphones into a secure area, safeguarding department property, monitoring the radio, misusing department letterhead, badges or insignia, secondary employment violations, and recommending bondsmen or attorneys to inmates.
    — Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 29 May 2026
  • Plus, bail bondsmen are the ultimate local rent seekers.
    — Dan Gooding Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2025
Definition of bondmen
Noun
  • City inspectors soon found site safety issues, including workers who were operating machinery without proper certification and an unpermitted supported scaffold in use, according to the Department of Buildings.
    — Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 30 July 2026
  • The talent drain is only expected to intensify as older workers and managers age out of their present roles.
    — Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of workers
Verb
  • Missile salvos and militia attacks have choked key shipping lanes, damaged Saudi oil facilities and driven up global prices even as fragile diplomacy struggles to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and avert escalation.
    — Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
  • The film follows a young man who struggles to balance his mental problems, medication, and drugs with his musical ambitions.
    — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 30 July 2026
Definition of struggles
Verb
  • At the time, the organization, which typically strives to have four days worth of blood on hand, only had two, according to Kristin Connor, Vitalant’s northern California communications manager.
    — Velvet Wu July 29, Sacbee.com, 29 July 2026
  • China is closing the satellite gap with the US, as Beijing strives to supplant Washington as the world’s leading space power.
    — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of strives
Verb
  • Connor, meanwhile, reportedly works as a DJ and is based in Florida.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 31 July 2026
  • Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice is a nonprofit organization that works with congregations throughout Southern California to support workers’ rights.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 31 July 2026
Definition of works

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slaves
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Cite this Entry

“Slaves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slaves. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on slaves

Nglish: Translation of slaves for Spanish Speakers

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