thrall

[ thrawl ]

/ θrɔl /

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noun

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

a person held in bondage or slavery.

slavery; thralldom.

the condition of being in the power of something or someone; a state of subjugation or rapt absorption: We will receive no help from the media, who are for the most part in thrall to the political establishment.

verb (used with object)

Archaic. to put or hold in thralldom; enslave.

adjective

Archaic. subjected to bondage; enslaved.

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Origin of thrall

First recorded before 950; Middle English thral, thral(l)e, threl(l)e, Old English thrǣl “bondman, slave, servant, thrall,” from Old Norse thrǣll “slave, servant”

OTHER WORDS FROM thrall

un·thralled, adjective

Words nearby thrall

Thrace, Thracian, Thraco-Phrygian, thraiping, Thrale, thrall, thralldom, thrang, thrapple, thrash, thrash about

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use thrall in a sentence

With all those dead pine trees in thrall to wildfire, the Sierra, transmuted into ash, is right outside our door.
How we drained California dry|Mark Arax|December 16, 2021|MIT Technology Review
It is the process by which rock stars gain priest-like powers over massive congregations while putting the congregants into ever greater thrall.
No Species Is an Island - Issue 105: Whale Songs|Roger Payne|September 8, 2021|Nautilus
Although the characters are in the thrall of big emotions — anger, desperation, repression and guilt — the words they use to articulate their feelings are fairly drab.
‘Twelve Minutes’: Grueling repetition with an interesting payoff|Christopher Byrd|August 27, 2021|Washington Post
Now both are in thrall to a base that has been encouraged to reject the simplest defensive measures.
How Trumpian politics stoke the coronavirus pandemic|Philip Bump|August 24, 2021|Washington Post

It’s a showdown that would have me in thrall even if the venue were some meaningless, late summer meet in Europe.
The Irresistible Aura of the Olympics|mmirhashem|July 30, 2021|Outside Online
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
Nathan Thrall, from the International Crisis Group, is even more skeptical.
Understanding John Kerry's Logic|Bernard Avishai|July 22, 2013|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
Then the Earl departed and a thrall of his named Kark bore him company.
The Sagas of Olaf Tryggvason and of Harald The Tyrant (Harald Haardraade)|Snorri Sturluson
Thereupon dug the thrall a large ditch in the sty & carried away the earth, and afterwards placed wood across it.
The Sagas of Olaf Tryggvason and of Harald The Tyrant (Harald Haardraade)|Snorri Sturluson
But bad fortune overtook Mr. Croker and the eighteen who then held him in partial thrall.
The Onlooker, Volume 1, Part 2|Various
Well had he said to himself that night in May: "La belle Dame sans mercy hath thee in thrall."
Plashers Mead|Compton Mackenzie
The Teutonic race had a myth which explained the origin of the classes eorl, ceorl and thrall (earl, churl and slave).
Myth, Ritual, and Religion, Vol. 1|Andrew Lang

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

thrall

Origin of thrall

OTHER WORDS FROM thrall

Words nearby thrall

Words related to thrall

How to use thrall in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for thrall

Word Origin for thrall