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
Its founder, Ayatollah Khomeini, established a religious dictatorship that subjugates the Iranian people under sharia law, while zealously exporting its dogma by force.
—
Elan Journo, Oc Register, 10 Mar. 2026
Likewise, meekness once meant not becoming weak, but subjugating power to reason – not letting anger take control.
—Timothy J. Pawl, The Conversation, 23 Feb. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for subjugate
Elan Journo, Oc Register, 10 Mar. 2026
Likewise, meekness once meant not becoming weak, but subjugating power to reason – not letting anger take control.
—Timothy J. Pawl, The Conversation, 23 Feb. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for subjugate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subjugate
Verb
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To even entertain a reality that absurd would require a faith in the American Dream blind enough to subdue the nightmare.—
Rodney Carmichael,
NPR,
3 June 2026
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Viewers have already seen glimpses of the premiere, which involves Aang and Katara subduing a sea serpent while guiding refugees across a treacherous path.—
Entertainment Weekly,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 June 2026
Verb
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The bolt-on deal trend According to PitchBook data, the vast majority of capital allocation is currently concentrated in strategic acquisitions and corporate add-ons rather than leveraged buyouts, with drug discovery dominating the deal flow.—
Elsa Ohlen,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
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The Knicks, meanwhile, have dominated the playoffs by winning 11 games in a row.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
4 June 2026
Verb
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In Sunday’s Rolex Grand Prix at the CSIO Piazza di Siena in Rome, it could have been argued that only a Roman, actually, can understand Rome – or at the very least, how to conquer its show jumping crown jewel.—
The Athletic Staff,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
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There’s a big frontier out there to conquer, and Courseau is now enough of a cowboy to rope it, brand it, and ride it into the sunset.—
Claudia Alarcón,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Verb
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The group spent years subjecting the gastric juice to a special kind of screening process.—
Sara Talpos — Undark,
STAT,
1 June 2026
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Over the course of four to six months per coil, the team will subject components to full operational electrical currents, which reach 68 kiloamperes (kA) for the toroidal field units and 48 kA for the poloidal field units.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
30 May 2026
Verb
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The food, beverage, pharmaceutical, chemical, and agribusiness lobbies do not need to defeat MAHA in public debate.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
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But environmentalists and other stakeholders said giving too many concessions to fossil fuel interests would defeat the program’s purpose, which is to drive down emissions along a pathway consistent with what scientists say could preserve a recognizable climate.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subjugate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subjugate. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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