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

---

enslave British  

/ 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

Etymology

Origin of enslave

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

Example Sentences

Despite being on the periphery of the Spanish empire and Mexico before becoming part of the United States, California had an important place in the larger struggle by enslaved people for their freedom.

From Los Angeles Times

He pays particular attention to the underexamined situation of enslaved people—60% of illegitimate births were to women who had arrived in Florence as slaves.

From The Wall Street Journal

The enslaved asserted the truth the oppressors feared above all: that they were actual human beings.

From The Wall Street Journal

The “House of Ashur” alternate timeline shows Ashur’s formerly enslaved Syrian having won his freedom and the patronage of Marcus Licinius Crassus, one of the triumvirate of generals uneasily sharing power.

From Salon

During the abolitionist movement and the war itself, the North Star became a practical element of enslaved African-Americans’ looking to the heavens, a beacon of freedom and hope.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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