enslave

[en-sleyv]

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

enslave

/ ɪnˈsleɪv /

verb

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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of enslave¹

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

Example Sentences

When the English looked to Africa, they now “wanted to know by what means persons were enslaved there and whether this was done in a manner that one could come to accept.”

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“This was one way of shifting enslaved labor from agriculture to industry, a necessity for the confederacy during the Civil War,” says Lichtenstein.

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Troves of enslaved people from many African countries, including Ghana, were brought to the United States through this pier —confused, sick, and probably gripped with terror.

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This brings me to Mary McLeod Bethune, a Colored woman born shortly after the end of slavery whose parents had been not only enslaved but also denied a formal education.

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Up to this point, the vast majority of enslaved people taken to the Americas had been captured in West Africa.

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Related Words

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