thrall

[thrawl]

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.

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. 2018

Related Words for thrall

servitude, slavery

Examples from the Web for thrall

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of thrall

What man would be so caitiff and thrall as to fail you at your need?
The White Company
Arthur Conan Doyle
She was in the thrall of fear, but, had she been questioned, would not have allowed that she was afraid.
A Spirit in Prison
Robert Hichens
I was but thirteen and of a spirit that had been cowed by her, and was held under her thrall.
The Strolling Saint
Raphael Sabatini
But Audrey herself was too completely the thrall of the illusion to feel compunction.
Audrey Craven
May Sinclair
The joy of it all held her in its thrall, and, for the moment at least, there was nothing else in the world.
The Golden Woman
Ridgwell Cullum

British Dictionary definitions for thrall

thrall

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

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").