slave

American  

[sleyv] / sleɪv /

noun

1. a person who is the property of and wholly subject to another and forced to provide unpaid labor.

2. a person entirely under the domination of some influence or person.

   She was a slave to her own ambition.

3. a drudge.

   a housekeeping slave.

4. a slave ant.

5. Photography. a subsidiary flash lamp actuated through its photoelectric cell when the principal flash lamp is discharged.

6. Machinery, Computers. a device or process under control of or repeating the actions of a similar device or process.

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verb (used without object)

slaved, slaving

1. to work like a slave; drudge.

   Synonyms:

   grind, slog, labor, toil

2. to engage in the slave trade; procure, transport, or sell slaves.

verb (used with object)

slaved, slaving

1. Machinery, Computers. to connect (a device) to a master as its slave.

2. Archaic. to enslave.

slave British  

/ sleɪv /

noun

1. a person legally owned by another and having no freedom of action or right to property

2. a person who is forced to work for another against his will

3. a person under the domination of another person or some habit or influence

   a slave to television

4. a person who works in harsh conditions for low pay

5. 1. a device that is controlled by or that duplicates the action of another similar device (the master device)

   2. ( as modifier )

      slave cylinder

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verb

1. to work like a slave

2. (tr) an archaic word for enslave

Other Word Forms

• proslave adjective
• semislave noun
• slaveless adjective
• slavelike adjective

Etymology

Origin of slave

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English sclave (also slave ), from Old French escla(i)ve, and Medieval Latin sclāvus (masculine), sclāva (feminine) “slave,” special use of Sclāvus “Slavic, a Slav, slave” (Latin does not tolerate the consonant cluster sl- and employs the cluster scl- instead); so called because Slavs in Central Europe and the Balkans were commonly enslaved in the early Middle Ages; Slav

Example Sentences

The United Nations General Assembly this week overwhelmingly backed a resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade "the gravest crime against humanity".

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

Despite being non-binding, the resolution goes beyond simple acknowledgment and asks nations involved in the slave trade to engage in restorative justice.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

The proposal urges UN member states to consider apologising for the slave trade and contributing to a reparations fund.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

And then if you only want to restrict it to federal immigration law, the Congress passed a law in 1808 banning the international slave trade and still ships are smuggling enslaved people in.

From Slate • Mar. 16, 2026

For Vellacott, coming into contact with the wreck of a slave ship is an intensely personal experience.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

Related Words

• bond servant
• bondslave
• bondsman/woman
• captive
• chattel
• serf