slaver
1 Americanverb (used without object)
-
slavers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
slavered,
past participle, past
-
slavering
present participle
-
to let saliva run from the mouth; slobber; drool.
-
to fawn.
verb (used with object)
-
slavers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
slavered,
past participle, past
-
slavering
present participle
noun
-
saliva coming from the mouth.
verb
-
to dribble saliva
-
(often foll by over)
-
to fawn or drool (over someone)
-
to show great desire (for); lust (after)
-
noun
-
saliva dribbling from the mouth
-
informal drivel
noun
-
an owner of or dealer in slaves
-
another name for slave ship
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
slaversimple
-
slaverssimple
-
have slaveredperfect
-
has slaveredperfect
-
am slaveringprogressive
-
are slaveringprogressive
-
is slaveringprogressive
-
have been slaveringperfect progressive
-
has been slaveringperfect progressive
Past
-
slaveredsimple
-
had slaveredperfect
-
was slaveringprogressive
-
were slaveringprogressive
-
had been slaveringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of slaver1
First recorded in 1815–25; slave + -er 1
Origin of slaver2
1275–1325; Middle English slaver (noun), slaveren (v.), probably < Scandinavian; compare Icelandic slafra to slobber
Explanation
Someone who brutally and cruelly forces people into servitude is a slaver. If you come across this word being used as a verb, it has an entirely different meaning (and pronunciation), to slobber or drool. You can use the historical word slaver to talk about the slave traders who captured and sold human beings into slavery, as well as the slave owners who forced enslaved people to work. It also describes the ships that transported enslaved Africans: "Many people died at sea on the slavers." When used as a verb, slaver is pronounced with a short a and it has a much gentler meaning. Your dog might start to slaver as you pour food into her dish.
Vocabulary lists containing slaver
The Tyrant's Tomb
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Tales from Earthsea
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
He was invited to join a group of slaver descendants confronting the past and through them, forged relationships in the country where Africans were once owned by his ancestor.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2023
The Portuguese monarchy also hired explorers such as Alvise Cadamosto, a Venetian slaver sent to scout the region of Senegambia.
From Textbooks ● Dec. 14, 2022
This casting decision makes a clear point: Kind or not, a slaver is still a slaver.
From New York Times ● May 30, 2022
“Is he looking for the whole truth here? The fact that he was a slaver and ran slaves up to the colonies? That’s what the historical documents say,” Hunt said.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 7, 2022
A slaver must have snuck into the printing office and put that in there.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
Thus the British, who had been such enthusiastic slavers, went on to force Muslim rulers to end their own version of the practice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025
They could be lamentations or celebrations; at the same time, they could serve as a means of stealthy communication, spreading news outside the ken of white slavers.
From New York Times ● Sep. 15, 2022
My own version of that would be: “Since the legacy of slavers cannot be borne, their names are crossed out. Since the legacy of slavers cannot be covered up, their names remain legible.”
From Washington Post ● Jul. 8, 2022
The task force’s findings in the report detail how American slavers trafficked African Americans to California, particularly in the gold rush era that began in 1848.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2022
The island was popular with slavers and smugglers.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
New York’s talent-hungry musical theater slavered for a follow-up.
From New York Times ● Oct. 8, 2019
Then he did a bit in which he slavered over Sabra hummus and Rold Gold pretzels.
From The New Yorker ● Oct. 12, 2015
They slavered over the delicious incongruity of this young thruster mixing it up with gimlet-eyed corporate lawyers, and winning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2015
Certainly not the critics, who slavered over its Royal Court premiere in 2007 and West End transfer, where the cast included the then-future Doctor Who, Matt Smith.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 25, 2010
His white fangs in his red jaws had slavered with craving as he watched the plump beavers at their work, far out on the brightly moonlit dam.
From The Haunters of the Silences A Book of Animal Life by Sir Charles George Douglas Roberts
And those internal and external opponents of Boris Johnson slavering at the prospect of Whatsapp messages and potentially embarrassing photographs from inside Downing Street being made public are likely to remain unsated.
From BBC ● Jan. 27, 2022
Miller took one of the better-known characters from Stephen King's ginormous novel and transformed him into a slavering, blithering idiot, adding one more thing to despise atop a mountain of mediocrity.
From Salon ● Feb. 12, 2021
With Star Wars: The Last Jedi, writer-director Rian Johnson made a point of answering questions set up by The Force Awakens, and giving fans some answers they were slavering for.
From The Verge ● Dec. 18, 2017
Anyway, back to Plummer, whose slavering autobiography reads like the bell you’d put around a cat’s neck to warn birds: he was a high-risk replacement for Spacey.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 27, 2017
I pull myself in tight under the rock ledge, but can’t stop my jowls from slavering at the thought of food.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
