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
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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
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Recent Examples of subjugate
Lydia Polgreen, Mercury News, 27 May 2025
Support for the reparations commission is rooted in a sad truth of our state’s history: For too long, the power of government was used to subjugate, disadvantage and disenfranchise Black citizens.
—Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 22 May 2025
And dominant players, such as Google, have also walked away from those pledges or subjugated them to a winner-take-all race to dominate the AI industry.
—Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
Donald Rumsfeld was particularly determined to subjugate bureaucracy.
—Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subjugate
Verb
The White minority that had subjugated and ruled the Black majority after expropriating their land, herding them into poor Bantustans and profiting from their cheap labor, would yield to democracy and a new constitution that would grant the right to vote to all South Africans.
—Lydia Polgreen, Mercury News, 27 May 2025
Support for the reparations commission is rooted in a sad truth of our state’s history: For too long, the power of government was used to subjugate, disadvantage and disenfranchise Black citizens.
—Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 22 May 2025
And dominant players, such as Google, have also walked away from those pledges or subjugated them to a winner-take-all race to dominate the AI industry.
—Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
Donald Rumsfeld was particularly determined to subjugate bureaucracy.
—Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subjugate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subjugate
Verb
-
Many of these women, though seemingly silent or subdued, speak volumes through their emotions and inner turmoil.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 June 2025
-
The overall market reaction to the attacks between the longtime regional foes has, admittedly, been fairly subdued since the strikes began late Thursday local time in New York.—
Paulina Likos,
CNBC,
18 June 2025
Noun
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It is said that Timur celebrated the 1366 conquest of Samarkand by dipping his fingers into the blood of an enemy corpse and printing three red circles on the door of a mosque.—
Dorothy Armstrong
June 18,
Literary Hub,
18 June 2025
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From the nation’s dissolution by imperial powers in the 18th century to its violent conquest by Germany in World War II to its ruthless control by the Soviets, Poland has been betrayed repeatedly by those around it.—
Mark Sappenfield,
Christian Science Monitor,
3 June 2025
Verb
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The right hemisphere of the brain dominates in spatial attention, while the right amygdala is dominant for processing threats.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
30 June 2025
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The early adopter was Montgomery Ward, but Sears and Roebuck—the Amazon and Walmart of their day—would soon dominate the business.—
Lee Habeeb,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 June 2025
Noun
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His administration approached leadership not as domination but as facilitation.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2025
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The group’s No. 1 run began in July 2019, when Del Barrio Hasta Aquí debuted at the summit, becoming its longest-leading set to date, with an 18-week domination.—
Griselda Flores,
Billboard,
17 June 2025
Verb
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Something Beautiful Wins on Vinyl Something Beautiful does manage to conquer the Vinyl Albums chart, earning Cyrus her third winner on that format-specific list.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
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In an improbable turn of events on the back nine on Sunday, JJ Spaun conquered Oakmont to win the U.S. Open by two shots over Robert MacIntyre.—
Troy Finnegan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 June 2025
Verb
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Hwang loudly calls out the flaw of democracy that allows the barest of majorities to subject all to nightmarish policies — even more nightmarish for those who voted against them.—
Michael Ordoña,
Los Angeles Times,
27 June 2025
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Congress passed the law that led to its creation based on its power under the Constitution’s spending clause, which allows Congress to subject federal funds to certain requirements.—
Naomi Cahn,
The Conversation,
27 June 2025
Verb
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This article gives her plenty of credit for defeating Sabalenka.—
James Hansen,
New York Times,
21 June 2025
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Leon made the team, and Canada went on to defeat Sweden in penalty kicks for the country’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in women’s soccer.—
Fernando Ramirez,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Subjugate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subjugate. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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