enslaver
noun
en·slav·er
in-ˈslā-vər 
en-
plural enslavers
1
: someone or something that forces one or more people into or as if into slavery
The more I read, the more I was led to abhor and detest my enslavers. I could regard them in no other light than a band of successful robbers, who had left their homes, and gone to Africa, and stolen us from our homes …—
Frederick Douglass
Frederick DouglassThe opera's libretto depicts Columbus as hungry for gold and an enslaver of the Tainos …—Bill Kaufman
Bill Kaufman… writings and textbooks and pamphlets—some 100 years old—calling tobacco foul, poisonous, an enslaver of the mind and soul.—Matthew Ebner
Matthew Ebner2
: slaveholder
Six years after she was enslaved on Spanish Point, Prince's enslaver sold her again to another slaveholder …—Christopher Michael Blakley
Christopher Michael Blakley… the Fugitive Slave Act was a source of contention for communities in the North that were torn about whether to comply with returning former slaves to their enslavers.—Bethany Bump
Bethany BumpExamples of enslaver in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
It should be noted that other Texas enslavers, including two governors, were ardent Unionists.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
Although General Granger announced that all enslaved people were to be freed, enslavers and plantation owners were left to announce the news.
—Andrea Wurzburger, People.com, 18 June 2025
As a result, the Union Army had to come in and force enslavers to abide by the new rules of the Emancipation Proclamation.
—Mackenzie Thomas, The Washington Examiner, 16 June 2025
In the Bahamas, the tradition dates back to when enslavers gave their slaves a day off during the holidays as reprieve.
—Sasha C. Wells / Made By History, TIME, 26 Dec. 2024
The broader Healing History initiative brought together descendants of enslavers and the enslaved in dialogue to practice honest, often difficult conversation.
—Brianna Scott, NPR, 19 June 2025
Bader-King pointed out that both homes were built by enslaved people and both patriarchs were enslavers.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2025
In all likelihood, one or more Virginians purchased the Lyles children, while another enslaver carried their mother to Savannah, a city with strong slave-trading ties to Richmond.
—Robert Colby, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Feb. 2025
These accounts portrayed enslaved people, regardless of plantation, experiencing a kind of nirvana for the entire Christmas period—utterly grateful for the generosity of their enslavers.
—Robert E. May / Made By History, TIME, 19 Dec. 2024
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Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
Although General Granger announced that all enslaved people were to be freed, enslavers and plantation owners were left to announce the news.
—Andrea Wurzburger, People.com, 18 June 2025
As a result, the Union Army had to come in and force enslavers to abide by the new rules of the Emancipation Proclamation.
—Mackenzie Thomas, The Washington Examiner, 16 June 2025
In the Bahamas, the tradition dates back to when enslavers gave their slaves a day off during the holidays as reprieve.
—Sasha C. Wells / Made By History, TIME, 26 Dec. 2024
The broader Healing History initiative brought together descendants of enslavers and the enslaved in dialogue to practice honest, often difficult conversation.
—Brianna Scott, NPR, 19 June 2025
Bader-King pointed out that both homes were built by enslaved people and both patriarchs were enslavers.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2025
In all likelihood, one or more Virginians purchased the Lyles children, while another enslaver carried their mother to Savannah, a city with strong slave-trading ties to Richmond.
—Robert Colby, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Feb. 2025
These accounts portrayed enslaved people, regardless of plantation, experiencing a kind of nirvana for the entire Christmas period—utterly grateful for the generosity of their enslavers.
—Robert E. May / Made By History, TIME, 19 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Enslaver.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enslaver. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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