This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
peonage
[ pee-uh-nij ]
/ ˈpi ə nɪdʒ /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
the condition or service of a peon.
the practice of holding persons in servitude or partial slavery, as to work off a debt or to serve a penal sentence.
QUIZ
ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?
We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.
Question 1 of 8
Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?
Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing
Words nearby peonage
Penutian, Penza, Penzance, Penzias, peon, peonage, peony, people, people carrier, peoplehood, people mover
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use peonage in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for peonage
peonage
peonism (ˈpiːəˌnɪzəm)
/ (ˈpiːənɪdʒ) /
noun
the state of being a peon
a system in which a debtor must work for his creditor until the debt is paid off
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
Cultural definitions for peonage
peonage
[ (pee-uh-nij) ]
A system of forced labor based on debts incurred by workers. Peonage developed particularly in plantation economies, where employers forced laborers to buy from employer-owned stores, pay inflated prices, and stay in debt.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.