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.
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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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This set is subdued and classic, yet still ideal for the season.
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Investors need to see traffic through the strait rise meaningfully in the coming weeks and months at a minimum to keep prices subdued.
Verb
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Summer 2026 is having a tough time deciding on this season’s dominating nail trend.
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Ivory Coast leads at halftime, and has largely dominated this match so far.
Verb
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The most recent Low Carb Cruise featured a talk by an oncologist about diets and cancer, one by a cardiologist about metabolic and heart health and another by an internal medicine physician on conquering food addiction.
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Not content with pioneering a whole new video format in North America through the ReelShort microdrama platform, Crazy Maple Studio founder and CEO Joey Jia now has his sights set on conquering Asia.
Verb
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For an entire weekend, these architects lived and hung out together while scientists subjected them to a litany of personality tests.
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Now, the administration is proposing to subject certain types of combination biologics to negotiation in some cases.
Verb
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Huffines defeated Kelly Hancock, a longtime Abbott ally who the governor appointed to the seat in July.
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In the early matchups, Ecuador upset Germany, Ivory Coast beat Curaçao 2-0, the Netherlands defeated Tunisia 3-1, and Japan and Sweden tied 1-1.
Cite this Entry
“Subjugate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subjugate. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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