enslaved; enslaving; enslaves
: to force into or as if into slavery : subjugate
The building holds bronze statues of Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass, who were born, and enslaved, on Maryland's Eastern Shore.—
Evan Osnos
Evan OsnosIt has long been known that Nordic warriors established outposts more than a millennium ago on Poland's Baltic coast, enslaving indigenous Slavic peoples to supply a booming slave trade, as well trading in salt, amber and other commodities.—Andrew Higgins
Andrew HigginsThis oddly contradictory view of artificial intelligence is somehow a perfect symbol of AI's place in our imaginations at this moment in history—something that will eliminate countless jobs, a boost for creativity, an end to drudgery, or perhaps a monstrous force that will take over our planet and enslave humanity.—Minda Zetlin
Minda Zetlin
enslavement
in-ˈslāv-mənt 
noun
en-
plural enslavements
… the continued enslavement of millions of human beings after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.
—Juan Cole
Juan Cole
sexual/economic enslavement
Examples of enslave in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Of course, some eight hundred thousand did die—many in horrific ways—while the formerly enslaved were left to fend for themselves in a postwar state where apartheid was enforced by terror.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025
But notice that this is never an acceptable option: no amount of gain in some other domain can justify the government enslaving a subset of the population.
—Rafael Perez, Oc Register, 21 Apr. 2025
The 14th Amendment became part of the U.S. Constitution in 1868, following the Civil War, and granted citizenship and freedoms outlined in the Bill of Rights to formerly enslaved people.
—Terry Moseley, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2025
In Virginia, for example, four out of ten Virginians were enslaved.
—Ari Daniel, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for enslave
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Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025
But notice that this is never an acceptable option: no amount of gain in some other domain can justify the government enslaving a subset of the population.
—Rafael Perez, Oc Register, 21 Apr. 2025
The 14th Amendment became part of the U.S. Constitution in 1868, following the Civil War, and granted citizenship and freedoms outlined in the Bill of Rights to formerly enslaved people.
—Terry Moseley, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2025
In Virginia, for example, four out of ten Virginians were enslaved.
—Ari Daniel, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for enslave
Cite this Entry
“Enslave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enslave. Accessed 11 May. 2025.
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