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
Joe Manganiello finds out he's descended from slaves and uncovers a mystery on Finding Your Roots
The show also revealed that Shonda Rhimes, Joe Manganiello, and Maya Rudolph are descended from people who were enslaved prior to the American Civil War.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 2 Jan. 2025
Even as enslaved people, we were brought to a colonized land by the same people who enslaved us.
—Jazmine Hughes, Them, 20 Dec. 2024
One 163 years ago, half our country, desperate to keep enslaving people, launched the Civil War, leading to President Abraham Lincoln's manifesto—the Gettysburg Address... which is just 262 words long.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024
As British forces and their allies crowded Gadsden’s Wharf on the city’s eastern peninsula, thousands of people enslaved by retreating Loyalists scrambled for space aboard a fleet of 130 ships.
—Kinsey Gidick, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2024
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Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 2 Jan. 2025
Even as enslaved people, we were brought to a colonized land by the same people who enslaved us.
—Jazmine Hughes, Them, 20 Dec. 2024
One 163 years ago, half our country, desperate to keep enslaving people, launched the Civil War, leading to President Abraham Lincoln's manifesto—the Gettysburg Address... which is just 262 words long.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024
As British forces and their allies crowded Gadsden’s Wharf on the city’s eastern peninsula, thousands of people enslaved by retreating Loyalists scrambled for space aboard a fleet of 130 ships.
—Kinsey Gidick, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2024
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 18 Jan. 2025.
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