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

thrace, thracian, thraco-phrygian, thraiping, thrale, thrall, thralldom, thrang, thrapple, thrash, thrash about

Origin of thrall

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

Related forms

un·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