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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of slave
Cheyanne M. Daniels, The Hill, 5 May 2025
Earlier this year, Sheinbaum defended the arrival of Cuban doctors in Mexico, despite critics arguing that they are treated as virtual slaves under bilateral government agreements.
—Andres Oppenheimer, Miami Herald, 7 May 2025
Kaila Philo, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Jan. 2025
The scholars borrow from critical theory—including a Marxist focus on the alienation of labor and postmodern pessimism—with some going so far as to compare the resorts to slave plantations.
—Richard Feinberg, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2019
See All Example Sentences for slave
Noun
Some slaves were severely punished for practicing their beliefs, while slaveowners would often refer to passages from the Bible in their justification of slavery.
—Cheyanne M. Daniels, The Hill, 5 May 2025
Earlier this year, Sheinbaum defended the arrival of Cuban doctors in Mexico, despite critics arguing that they are treated as virtual slaves under bilateral government agreements.
—Andres Oppenheimer, Miami Herald, 7 May 2025
Verb
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
The scholars borrow from critical theory—including a Marxist focus on the alienation of labor and postmodern pessimism—with some going so far as to compare the resorts to slave plantations.
—Richard Feinberg, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2019
See All Example Sentences for slave
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slave
Noun
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Although the servant admits that Hamm has been like a father to him, their relationship is also highly dysfunctional.—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2025
-
There would be no roads or currency and the project would be staffed by robot servants and flying cars.—
James Montague,
New York Times,
18 May 2025
Noun
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One was a White farmer, while the others were Black laborers or security workers, police said.—
/ CBS News,
CBS News,
23 May 2025
-
Consider android laborers harvesting crops at night while humans engage in creative endeavors by day.—
Amir Husain,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
Verb
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Halfway through his first term, Johnson is laboring diligently to shore up his support among Black voters.—
Laura Washington,
Chicago Tribune,
28 May 2025
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Supreme Court justice calls it 'ridiculous' Trump cuts reach climate scientists who labored for free Melina Khan is a trending reporter covering national news for USA TODAY.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
1 May 2025
Noun
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And that’s exactly what Hub gets when attempting to arrest two criminals who have escaped bail, but who end up catching the bondsman off-guard, shooting him with a shotgun blast (a bulletproof vest saves his life) and then ultimately slitting his throat with a knife.—
Demetrius Patterson,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Apr. 2025
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Hub is a second-generation bondsman, having followed in the footsteps of his acerbic mother — and, as a middle-aged divorcée, roommate — Kitty (Beth Grant).—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Two Israeli embassy workers in Washington, DC, were killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum in late May, and an arsonist set the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion on fire on the first night of Passover because of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s views on the war in Gaza, according to search warrants.—
Chelsea Bailey,
CNN Money,
3 June 2025
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Food worker with discharge from eyes, nose and/or throat.—
Ashley Fredde,
Idaho Statesman,
3 June 2025
Verb
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Experts predict an increase in space tourism over the coming decades, potentially accelerating global warming in a world already struggling to combat its effects.—
Sheetal Khedkar Rao,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2025
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From dropout to overachiever For most of her life, Mui struggled to fit into society’s mold.—
Ernestine Siu,
CNBC,
23 May 2025
Verb
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What Thornton is striving toward, an embrace of generosity, of humanity being able to change what faith and religion even mean, is often moving.—
Ella Kemp,
IndieWire,
23 May 2025
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Businesses should be able to write off the full expense of their capital investments in the year they are made, and the Senate should strive to cut spending elsewhere to balance out the revenue losses from making bonus depreciation permanent.—
The Editors,
National Review,
23 May 2025
Noun
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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
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Khartoum was founded as a slave market, in 1821, and Arabs continued to raid southern areas, including the Nuba Mountains, for human chattel long after the practice was outlawed, in 1924.—
Nicolas Niarchos,
New Yorker,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Slave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slave. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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