as in to subdue
to bring under one's control by force of arms
explorers who subjugated the natives in the name of religion
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Recent Examples of subjugate
However, once Hernán Cortés triumphed, the conquistadors went from waging war — vanquishing the Aztecs — to the project of subjugating Indigenous holdouts and building a self-sustaining territory loyal to the crown.
—
Foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
It’s subjugated to a larger sense of what’s called the universal destination of all goods.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2026
There’s her creative director, Celeste (filmmaker/actress Hailey Benton Gates), Charli’s friend and the only one with a foot in reality, but with no other purpose in life but to subjugate herself to her employer.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2026
Not forcing her to go means hurting the other girl, forcing her to go means teaching your daughter that her own comfort should be subjugated to make someone else happy.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subjugate
Foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
It’s subjugated to a larger sense of what’s called the universal destination of all goods.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2026
There’s her creative director, Celeste (filmmaker/actress Hailey Benton Gates), Charli’s friend and the only one with a foot in reality, but with no other purpose in life but to subjugate herself to her employer.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2026
Not forcing her to go means hurting the other girl, forcing her to go means teaching your daughter that her own comfort should be subjugated to make someone else happy.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subjugate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subjugate
Verb
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Two sources described the evening to Variety as subdued.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
24 Apr. 2026
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Both would like to subdue Hezbollah and transform it into a relatively normal Lebanese political party.—
Hussein Ibish,
The Atlantic,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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While Microsoft has gained traction among developers with GitHub Copilot, the AI coding market is currently being dominated by Cursor, along with Anthropic and OpenAI.—
Kate Rooney,Jordan Novet,
CNBC,
23 Apr. 2026
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In another gallery, Joe Overstreet’s The New Jemima reimagines a racist caricature as a bold, satirical portrait of power, its bright colors dominating the quiet space.—
Carrie Honaker,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Messi celebrated the winning goal in the arms of his teammates, another stadium conquered, with a smile anyone could understand.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
19 Apr. 2026
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Following a week of cold weather, rain, thunderstorms and even a freeze, Saturday brought bright sunshine for more than 2,000 runners aiming to conquer what organizers say is the most grueling half-marathon around.—
Shannon Tyler,
Idaho Statesman,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
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For months, Vince would roll out her limp body in a wheelchair and subject her to various humiliations.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
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Jones had claimed that the 2012 massacre at the Sandy Hook Elementary School was a hoax and staged and his followers subjected the families to years of harassment and death threats.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Earlier this month, Michigan defeated UConn in the NCAA men’s basketball national championship game.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2026
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In large part because the only feeling more satisfying than defeating your enemies is that of defeating your friends.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subjugate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subjugate. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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