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

Native Americans were forcibly removed from their lands in the development of this nation and enslaved people were brought to America involuntarily.

From Los Angeles Times

“Yes, sugar is the sweetness that comes from Cuba, but she also wanted to remind us of the bitterness felt by Afro-Cubans who were enslaved on the sugarcane plantations.”

From Literature

Less attention has been paid to the ways in which enslaved people strove for emancipation through acts of resistance.

From The Wall Street Journal

One sign declared the site had been “transformed into a space that honors the lives of those enslaved.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Likely between age 8 and 15, she was enslaved by an ethnic Maya faction in present-day Tabasco state, though it is unclear if she was kidnapped or sold.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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