enslave

American  

[en-sleyv] / ɛnˈsleɪv /

verb (used with object)

enslaved, enslaving

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

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enslave British  

/ ɪnˈsleɪv /

verb

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

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Other Word Forms

• enslavement noun
• enslaver noun
• reenslave verb (used with object)
• reenslavement noun

Etymology

Origin of enslave

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

Example Sentences

But so far, no country has ever paid reparations to the descendants of enslaved Africans or affected African, Caribbean and Latin American nations.

From BBC

The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was something Thoreau not just railed against but acted against, smuggling several enslaved people to Canada.

From The Wall Street Journal

Forts, where tens of thousands of enslaved Africans were once held under inhuman conditions, remain standing along the West African country's coast.

From BBC

And the U.S. began that relationship with the free Cuban people, many of whom had been enslaved by Spain, not by inviting them to the negotiation table in France but by dictating terms.

From Los Angeles Times

Ghana has positioned itself as a gateway for diaspora return since launching the "Year of Return" initiative in 2019, which commemorated 400 years since enslaved Africans were first taken to North America.

From Barron's

Related Words

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