thrall

[ thrawl ]

/ θrɔl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR thrall ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who is in bondage; slave.

a person who is morally or mentally enslaved by some power, influence, or the like: He was the thrall of morbid fantasies.

slavery; thralldom.

verb (used with object)

Archaic. to put or hold in thralldom; enslave.

adjective

Archaic. subjected to bondage; enslaved.

RELATED WORDS

servitude, slavery

Nearby words

thraco-phrygian, thraiping, thraldom, thrale, thrale, hester lynch, thrall, thralldom, thrang, thrapple, thrash, thrash about

Origin of thrall

before 950; Middle English; Old English thrǣl < Old Norse thrǣll slave

Related formsun·thralled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for thrall

They are an elusive bunch, in motion or in the thrall of another time.
The Real-Life Raiders of the Lost Ark|Alex Belth|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The sheikh is ready to flee if the Lebanese security forces, considered to be in thrall to Hezbollah, make a move to arrest him.
The Sheikh Who Wants to Put the Hurt on Hezbollah in Lebanon|Jamie Dettmer|July 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Most natives speak Russian as their first language, and are more in thrall to Russian culture than Ukrainian.
Is Kharkiv Ukraine’s Next Tipping Point?|Vijai Maheshwari|March 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Thrall is right to imply that the Olmert-Abbas principles were a only start and there is no guarantee that starting is succeeding.
Understanding John Kerry's Logic|Bernard Avishai|July 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST

What chance then is there for any change in a conclave in thrall to Benedict and John Paul?
The Catholic Church Is Insular and Intolerant|Robert Shrum|March 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Thou shalt soon have to own that I am no thrall, for I will not yield an inch to thee.
The story of Burnt Njal|Anonymous
Yea I am the thrall of Sorrow; she hath stripped my raiment off And laid sore stripes upon me with many a bitter scoff.
The House of the Wolfings|William Morris
Then the thrall rose, yawned, and dropped the bar over the door.
The Path of the King|John Buchan
One of those strange, feminine silences of acute sympathy seemed to hold them for a while under its thrall.
The Zeppelin's Passenger|E. Phillips Oppenheim
My auditors were now in the thrall of Bottazzi's story, and the silence was eloquent.
The Shadow World|Hamlin Garland

British Dictionary definitions for thrall

thrall

/ (θrɔːl) /

noun

Also called: thraldom, (US) thralldom (ˈθrɔːldəm) the state or condition of being in the power of another person

a person who is in such a state

a person totally subject to some need, desire, appetite, etc

verb

(tr) to enslave or dominate

Word Origin for thrall

Old English thrǣl slave, from Old Norse thrǣll

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

Word Origin and History for thrall

thrall

Old English þræl "bondman, serf, slave," from Old Norse þræll "slave, servant," probably from Proto-Germanic *thrakhilaz, literally "runner," from root *threh- "to run" (cf. Old High German dregil "servant," properly "runner;" Old English þrægan, Gothic þragjan "to run").