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
What these founders knew about the weather ruled their daily paths as farmers, politicians and enslavers.
—Sara Georgini, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Jan. 2025
Félicité encouraged the entire country to finally savor the soup they had long been forbidden by their enslavers to enjoy.
—Nyya Toussaint / Made By History, TIME, 31 Dec. 2024
Frederick Douglass, by Sidney Morrison Frederick Douglass roars from the pages of this meticulous novel, thanks to the voices of his steadfast wife, Anna, and their children, plus confidants, paramours, and even enslavers.
—Staff, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Dec. 2024
The late Marie Delphine LaLaurie is remembered as both a wealthy New Orleans socialite and an enslaver, and her gruesome legacy is tied to a historic mansion on Royal Street, which has been seen on America’s Most Haunted Homes and depicted on FX’s American Horror Story: Coven.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 10 July 2024
This type of education was unusual at the time, as enslavers were often worried that literacy would prompt enslaved individuals to read about freedom and rebel, according to the Encyclopedia Virginia.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Oct. 2024
Ripley became known by enslavers as the place enslaved people went to disappear.
—TIME, 2 Dec. 2024
Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium basketball arena is in no way connected to the enslavers, but the family was trustees and donors to the nearby University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where a road on campus remains shamefully named after them.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
Several Austin place names have been called into question because their namesakes were racists, enslavers or instigators of ethnic cleansing.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 3 Sep. 2024
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Sara Georgini, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Jan. 2025
Félicité encouraged the entire country to finally savor the soup they had long been forbidden by their enslavers to enjoy.
—Nyya Toussaint / Made By History, TIME, 31 Dec. 2024
Frederick Douglass, by Sidney Morrison Frederick Douglass roars from the pages of this meticulous novel, thanks to the voices of his steadfast wife, Anna, and their children, plus confidants, paramours, and even enslavers.
—Staff, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Dec. 2024
The late Marie Delphine LaLaurie is remembered as both a wealthy New Orleans socialite and an enslaver, and her gruesome legacy is tied to a historic mansion on Royal Street, which has been seen on America’s Most Haunted Homes and depicted on FX’s American Horror Story: Coven.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 10 July 2024
This type of education was unusual at the time, as enslavers were often worried that literacy would prompt enslaved individuals to read about freedom and rebel, according to the Encyclopedia Virginia.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Oct. 2024
Ripley became known by enslavers as the place enslaved people went to disappear.
—TIME, 2 Dec. 2024
Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium basketball arena is in no way connected to the enslavers, but the family was trustees and donors to the nearby University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where a road on campus remains shamefully named after them.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
Several Austin place names have been called into question because their namesakes were racists, enslavers or instigators of ethnic cleansing.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 3 Sep. 2024
Dictionary Entries Near enslaver
Cite this Entry
“Enslaver.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enslaver. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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