1
as in servant
a person who is considered the property of another person
many American slaves reached freedom in the North through the network known as the Underground Railroad
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in laborer
a person who does very hard or dull work
unappreciated office slaves who perform the necessary but tedious task of filing paperwork
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to labor
to devote serious and sustained effort
slaving over a hot stove
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of slave
Mark Mengonfia, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2025
Stephen Satterfield, a sommelier and food anthropologist specializing in the origin, foraging, and reclamation of cotton, specifies how cotton production, produced off the backs of Black slaves in the American South, was the foundation upon which capitalism was born.
—Cierra Black, Essence, 9 July 2025
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 14 Feb. 2025
Charcoal portraits depict six of the enslaved Africans who were aboard the Amistad, the 19th-century slaving schooner that became the center of a landmark Supreme Court case.
—Kaila Philo, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slave
Noun
It was first established with the aim of relocating freed slaves from the United States.
—Mark Mengonfia, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2025
Stephen Satterfield, a sommelier and food anthropologist specializing in the origin, foraging, and reclamation of cotton, specifies how cotton production, produced off the backs of Black slaves in the American South, was the foundation upon which capitalism was born.
—Cierra Black, Essence, 9 July 2025
Verb
For the Outies to live their lives without a second thought to that other person slaving away underground?
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 14 Feb. 2025
Charcoal portraits depict six of the enslaved Africans who were aboard the Amistad, the 19th-century slaving schooner that became the center of a landmark Supreme Court case.
—Kaila Philo, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slave
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slave
Noun
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But the novel also interweaves a repository of 795 poems throughout its roughly 1,300 pages—each written from the one of 118 separate characters’ perspectives, including mothers, servants, emperors, lovers, and Genji himself.—
Andrew Paul Jul 16,
Popular Science,
16 July 2025
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Shalla-Bal was later crowned the Empress of Zenn-La after Radd sacrificed himself to be enslaved as the servant of the planet eater to save his world from obliteration.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
14 July 2025
Noun
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In one of the tents set up for the devotees in the capital, laborer Ankit Gupta put out plates and food in anticipation of the arrival of the next group of pilgrims.—
Aishwarya S. Iyer,
CNN Money,
25 July 2025
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The document lacks details on how states’ regulations would be judged, but some blue states, like California and New York, have already started passing laws protecting workers’ rights against AI—with support from unions and laborers.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
23 July 2025
Verb
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My breathing was labored—short and ragged inhales, long faint exhales.—
Amie Barrodale,
Harpers Magazine,
16 July 2025
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Nobody knows what to expect from Waller, but the same can, and should be said about this Dolphins team, which has labored all offseason to course correct the team’s culture.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
10 July 2025
Noun
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That Friday morning, his family, a lawyer and a bail bondsman all gathered in the courthouse for an unsuccessful attempt to have his bond lowered.—
Evan Mealins,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
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Because the sheriff’s office only accepts bail in person, with cash or a cashier’s check — and because local bondsmen will not serve migrants — many migrants have been forced to make similar payments to a cottage industry of informal couriers.—
Jack Herrera Jack Herrera,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
Noun
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The world’s fourth-largest economy has traditionally been strict on immigration, but in recent years worked hard to attract more international tourists and foreign workers to counter a rapidly aging population and plunging birth rates.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
21 July 2025
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From that worker, Kane learned about the center and offered to volunteer.—
Shelby Slade,
AZCentral.com,
21 July 2025
Verb
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But AmeriCorps officials have struggled in recent years to provide financial information to auditors and have acknowledged the need for reforms.—
Dan Horn,
The Enquirer,
23 July 2025
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The party of the president usually struggles in a midterm election like next year's race to replace Peters.—
M.L. Elrick,
Freep.com,
23 July 2025
Verb
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Even though her husband and her eldest son will one day be king, Princess Kate has strived to maintain a sense of normalcy at home.—
Meredith Kile,
People.com,
22 July 2025
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These dishes have to be perfect, even in their simplicity, and there’s something exciting about striving for that.—
David Hochman,
Forbes.com,
20 July 2025
Noun
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In many jurisdictions, the appeal of collecting is further enhanced through tax advantage, with sales exempt from capital gains thanks to wine’s classification as a wasting chattel.—
Paul Caputo,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
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There is no question, the enslaved workers at the Nottoway Plantation during the antebellum era were human chattel.—
Maurice Carlos Ruffin,
Time,
21 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Slave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slave. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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