bondage

noun

bond·​age ˈbän-dij 

plural bondages

1

: a state of being bound usually by compulsion (as of law): such as

a

: slavery, serfdom

Historically, the two most prevalent types of legal bondage were serfdom and chattel slavery.

—Michael Bush

More than 150 years after enslaved Africans and their descendants were released from bondage through ratification of the 13th Amendment, the slavery exception continues to permit the exploitation of labor by incarcerated individuals.

—Aaron Morrison

In the Thar desert of Pakistan, generations of families are trapped in debt bondage, forced to work for years in brick kilns to repay loans from the kiln owners.

—Isaiah Reynolds et al.

b

: servitude or subjugation to a controlling person or force

How can one company control the world's seed supply? When one gigantic corporate entity is allowed to block farmers from planting a seed without compensating that monopoly, the farmers are held in bondage to uncontrolled price increases.

—John Boyd

Do you have the freedom of self-control or are you in bondage to your desires?

—David Brooks

2

: sadomasochistic sexual practices involving the physical restraint of one partner

Synonyms

• enslavement
• servility
• servitude
• slavery
• thrall
• thralldom
• thraldom
• yoke

Examples of bondage in a Sentence

a population held in bondage

Recent Examples on the Web

Pavlovich’s allegations, like others against Gaiman, often involve acts associated with BDSM (bondage, domination, sadism, and masochism). —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2025

Gaiman's representatives have responded to some outlets, claiming the incidents were consensual and instances of practicing BDSM (bondage, discipline/dominance, submission/sadism and masochism). —Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY, 13 Jan. 2025

Its provocative lingerie kicks up the kink, with moody styles and accessories that nod to bondage—cuffs, chokers, harnesses, and barely-there thongs draped in gold chains. —Malia Griggs, Glamour, 20 Dec. 2024

Her foot literally steps forward atop a broken chain of human bondage. —The New York Times, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from bonde customary tenant, from Middle English

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

bondage

noun

bond·​age ˈbän-dij 

: the state of being an enslaved person or serf