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
There is no need for Shyne to overly verbalize the significance of these images: Black farmers cultivating land on which they were once enslaved, using tools that ease the burden of this task.
—Esther Zuckerman, IndieWire, 25 Jan. 2025
The 14th Amendment was ratified in 1868 after the Civil War, granting citizenship and rights to formerly enslaved people.
—James Powel, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2025
The land, which enslaved Africans once transformed from a cypress swamp into an intricate system of rice plantations, is now a wildlife preserve managed by Charleston County Parks & Recreation.
—Ellen Schmedinghoff, AFAR Media, 14 Jan. 2025
More fully understanding the people who dare to enslave another human being could give law enforcement worldwide a better shot at stopping this crime against humanity.
—Monti Datta, The Conversation, 9 Jan. 2025
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Esther Zuckerman, IndieWire, 25 Jan. 2025
The 14th Amendment was ratified in 1868 after the Civil War, granting citizenship and rights to formerly enslaved people.
—James Powel, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2025
The land, which enslaved Africans once transformed from a cypress swamp into an intricate system of rice plantations, is now a wildlife preserve managed by Charleston County Parks & Recreation.
—Ellen Schmedinghoff, AFAR Media, 14 Jan. 2025
More fully understanding the people who dare to enslave another human being could give law enforcement worldwide a better shot at stopping this crime against humanity.
—Monti Datta, The Conversation, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for enslave
Dictionary Entries Near enslave
Cite this Entry
“Enslave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enslave. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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