thrall

American  

[thrawl] / θrɔl /

noun

1. a person who is morally or mentally enslaved by some power, influence, or the like.

   He was the thrall of morbid fantasies.

2. a person held in bondage or slavery.

3. slavery; thralldom.

4. 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.

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verb (used with object)

1. Archaic. to put or hold in thralldom; enslave.

adjective

1. Archaic. subjected to bondage; enslaved.

thrall British  

/ θrɔːl /

noun

1. Also called: thraldom.   thralldom.  the state or condition of being in the power of another person

2. a person who is in such a state

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

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verb

1. (tr) to enslave or dominate

Other Word Forms

• unthralled adjective

Etymology

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”

Example Sentences

Thurman benefits the most from spending an entire afternoon in the thrall of her performance.

From Los Angeles Times

Those not already in thrall to Mr. Winchester may find that however much they want to be pleased with his style in “The Breath of the Gods,” they can’t quite get there.

From The Wall Street Journal

Among other things, a customer in thrall to a fraudster will sometimes foil their own bank’s attempts to prevent them from sending money to a criminal.

From Salon

Saxon hopes the audiences watching “The Legend of Ochi” are kept in thrall, wondering.

From Los Angeles Times

The music industry had largely written her off - but in England, where pop was in thrall to American R&B, she still had some heavyweight fans.

From BBC