slave 1 of 2

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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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

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slave

2 of 2

verb

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of slave
Noun
The memorial opened in April 2018 alongside the Legacy Museum, which is a mile away on the site of a former slave warehouse. Bailey Berg, AFAR Media, 14 Mar. 2025 Among the historical figures buried there are two U.S. presidents, John F. Kennedy and William Howard Taft; Gen. Colin Powell, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Supreme Justice Thurgood Marshall; and boxer Joe Louis, a former world heavyweight champion and grandson of a slave. Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2025
Verb
During the latter half of that period, according to Marques’s review of British consular reports, more than one-third of all slaving vessels that made landfall in Rio de Janeiro did so under an American flag. Rafael Vilela, Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2024 In other words, spend your energies considering the ingredients rather than slaving over the method. Judy Bart Kancigor, Orange County Register, 18 Jan. 2024 See All Example Sentences for slave
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slave
Noun
  • Son Heung-min has been a tremendous servant to the club, but at 32, his influence appears to be waning.
    Robert Kidd, Forbes.com, 30 Mar. 2025
  • Launched in 2010 from creator Julian Fellowes, the original Downton Abbey series ran through 2015 on the British network ITV and on PBS in America, and followed the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their team of servants at their Yorkshire estate in 1912.
    EW.com, EW.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The exploitation of enslaved laborers on cane plantations increased supply and decreased production costs.
    Nina Foster, JSTOR Daily, 28 Mar. 2025
  • The Institute for Women’s Policy Research, which compiled data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, also reported that in 2023, women comprised 4.3% of workers in construction and extraction occupations, which include construction laborers, carpenters and electricians.
    Julie Coleman, CNBC, 27 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • With many left homeless by the quake, and many others staying away from their homes because of fears that ongoing aftershocks will bring them down, workers in Naypyidaw labored in the 104 F heat to busily erect big tents in open fields to provide some shelter.
    David Rising, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2025
  • The glorious future of the nation depends on everyone laboring at a fast pace, with no time to slow down and question what’s happening.
    Charlie Tyson, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • For example, Alabama proposes a system where defendants pay a portion of their bail directly to the court instead of going through a bail bondsman.
    Lisel Petis, Boston Herald, 29 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The president justified the decision by saying the duty fees would spur automakers to build more vehicles in America, and, in the process, create more jobs for the country’s workers.
    Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 4 Apr. 2025
  • Nationwide, 1 in 4 direct care workers are immigrants, according to a policy brief from PHI, an advocacy group for elder care and disability service workers.
    Mercedes Vigon, The Conversation, 4 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The Royals struggled to pick up his sweeper and slider combination.
    Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 5 Apr. 2025
  • The 25-year-old struggled to impact the game and there was a disconnect between her and Clinton, her United team-mate.
    Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The Grand Slams have certainly increased their compensation as each strives to make their experience bigger and better.
    Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025
  • Passionate about Jewish education and social justice, Olga strives to connect individuals and communities with opportunities to make a difference and support the sustainability of Jewish nonprofits.
    Olga & Igor Alterman, Sun Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The game is the system that keeps one as chattel for the other.
    Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 26 Dec. 2024
  • This led to the development of a particular type of housing structure known as chattel houses in countries such as Barbados.
    Farah Nibbs, The Conversation, 22 Oct. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Slave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slave. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.

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