enslave

American

[en-sleyv] / ɛnˈsleɪv /

verb (used with object)

enslaved, enslaving

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

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Superfly is constructing a device to turn all animals into mutants and enslave the human race, and the heroes enter into a color explosion epic battle to stop him.

From Washington Times • Dec. 22, 2023

They will be like, “OK, leave him alone. Don’t enslave him. He understands us.”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 28, 2023

Most ants can be highly territorial and even go to war or enslave other ants.

From Salon • Jul. 24, 2023

But last week Hinton quit Google so he could speak freely about his fears that A.I. systems would soon become smarter than us and gain the power to enslave or kill us.

From Slate • May 9, 2023

Ignorance of the ABCs, Frederick Douglass would write after gaining his freedom, was part of “the white man’s power to enslave the black man.”

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023