Skip to main content
to enslave

to enslave

101 5.7
To force a person to work for someone else and take away their freedom
  • verb
  • /ɪnˈsleɪv/
  • NSFW
translation icon : esclavizar
  • Some unfortunate individuals found themselves enslaved on plantations as far away as Cuba.
  • enslave people
  • enslave Africans
  • enslave others

They're no longer enslaved emotionally to the past.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Talus will not stop until he enslaves them all to build his empire.

  • Even though they enslaved us, they needed us to be happy, right?

  • go in and they enslave the local people in those regions

  • So they enslaved the people that was already here.

  • Dictators free themselves, but they enslave the people.

  • His figures told of the increasing number of enslaved people in the Mississippi Valley.

    Academic text (2017)
  • Most obviously, on plantations and smaller farms, enslaved people were subject to the almost absolute authority of the slave owner.

    Academic text (2017)
  • The young women and children who have been enslaved must not be revictimized, but rather liberated from bondage.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Two-thirds of these were enslaved people who brought with them West Indian dances (Emery 14).

    Academic text (2012)
  • The cruel warlord decided to enslave the villagers to expand his power.

Synonyms

to subject
vsto enslave
62 7.7

To bring a person or group under the control of another

means complete loss of liberty and ownership by another
to subjugate
vsto enslave
  • Formal
21 9.2

To bring someone or something under control, often by force

means complete loss of liberty and ownership by another

Antonyms

104 4.3

Set someone free from prison or unfair control

to emancipate
  • Formal
23 7.0

To set someone free from unfair control or rules so they have equal rights

How Enslaved

to enslave
  • NSFW
101 5.7
to oppress
152 6.5
to control
2.4
to limit
2.1

Surface Forms

enslave infinitive
enslaved past
enslaved past participle
enslaving present participle
enslaves third person singular

Morphology

enslave = slave (transparent) = en + slave

Formed by the productive prefix 'en-' meaning 'to make' plus the noun 'slave', so the meaning 'to make someone a slave' is directly derivable.

Etymology

Enslave is formed from en- and slave, where en- means 'make' and slave comes from the name of the Slavs, a group of people who long ago were often captured and forced to work. So, to enslave someone is to 'make' them a slave, taking away their freedom and forcing them to work for someone else.