enslave

[ en-sleyv ]

verb (used with object)

, en·slaved, en·slav·ing.

1. to make a slave of; hold (someone) in slavery or bondage:

   Spartacus was enslaved by the Romans, fought as a gladiator, and later led an insurrection in 73 B.C.

   Synonyms: dominate, control, shackle, enchain

   Antonyms: release, liberate, free

enslave

/ ɪnˈsleɪv /

verb

1. tr to make a slave of; reduce to slavery; subjugate

Derived Forms

• enˈslaver, noun
• enˈslavement, noun

Other Words From

• en·slave·ment noun
• en·slav·er noun
• re·en·slave verb (used with object) reenslaved reenslaving
• re·en·slave·ment noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of enslave¹

First recorded in 1635–45; en- ¹ + slave

Example Sentences

That has little to do with his wanton destruction of democracy, Trump's adherence to authoritarian tropes, or his desire to enslave, arrest or seek vengeance upon those who oppose him.

From Salon

In 2022, for instance, delegates approved a platform that included calls for a referendum on Texas secession; resistance to the “Great Reset,” a conspiracy theory that claims global elites are using environmental and social policies to enslave the world’s population; proclamations that homosexuality is an “abnormal lifestyle choice”; and a declaration that President Joe Biden was not legitimately elected.

From Salon

In 2022, it called for a referendum on Texas secession; resistance to the “Great Reset,” a conspiracy theory that claims global elites are using environmental and social policies to enslave the world’s population; proclamations that homosexuality is an “abnormal lifestyle choice”; and a declaration that President Joe Biden was not legitimately elected.

From Salon

Ignorance of the ABCs, Frederick Douglass would write after gaining his freedom, was part of “the white man’s power to enslave the black man.”

From Literature

But historians say Hastings helped orchestrate and finance campaigns by white settlers in Mendocino County to kill and enslave members of the Yuki tribe at a time when California had legalized lynch mob attacks on Natives, along with kidnapping and forced servitude, in what some state leaders openly called a war of extermination.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• coerce
• deprive
• disenfranchise
• imprison
• incarcerate
• oppress
• shackle
• subjugate
• suppress