as in to subdue
to bring under one's control by force of arms
explorers who subjugated the natives in the name of religion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in conquest
the act or process of bringing someone or something under one's control
the subjugation of much of Europe by Napoléon
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 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
Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026
After weeks of subjugation at Linda's hands, Bradley discovers that his fiancée and her boat guide had come to the island to rescue them—but Linda killed the pair to avoid returning to the real world.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subjugate
Verb
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
Noun
Many slaves, Murray noted, internalized this ideal of American freedom despite their own subjugation.
—Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026
After weeks of subjugation at Linda's hands, Bradley discovers that his fiancée and her boat guide had come to the island to rescue them—but Linda killed the pair to avoid returning to the real world.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subjugate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subjugate
Verb
-
They were abandoned during the Mongol invasion in 1241 and then subdued by the Ottoman empire in 1526.—
Isaac Stanley-Becker,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Worley physically fought the officer who used a Taser to subdue him, an affidavit states.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Morris scooped the world in 1953 with the news of the British expedition’s conquest of Everest.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Simultaneously a declaration of Roman supremacy and an admission that conquest may be theft at scale, these Roman propaganda events were so terrifying that Cleopatra famously chose death over appearing in one.—
Mary Beard,
Big Think,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
Noun
-
But Jordan’s place on this list is about pure domination.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2026
-
With the blessing and leadership of various popes, the nobles of Europe raised armies, crossed various countries or sailed to the Middle East to fight and save the Holy Land (Palestine) from Muslim domination, something that echoes down the centuries to today.—
Peter Lucas,
Boston Herald,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
Noun
-
Without ever being great or dominating possession, Liverpool showed the shape might become an effective blueprint for the Premier League.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
No double-digit lead is safe because anyone can go on a dominating run, as Michigan and UConn both did on Sunday.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
Caroline Spadorcia went 2-for-4 with two doubles, two runs and two RBI as Archbishop Williams (4-3) defeated Latin Academy, 6-3.—
Tyler McManus,
Boston Herald,
18 Apr. 2026
-
Hamadeh was elected to a reliably red West Valley district in 2024 after being defeated by Mayes in 2022.—
Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subjugate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subjugate. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
