slavery
noun
slav·ery
ˈslā-v(ə-)rē 
plural slaveries
1
a
: the practice or institution of holding people as chattel involuntarily and under threat of violence
In reality, though, African forms of slavery didn't compare with the racialized industrial variants that Western empires unleashed upon the world. … Here in the United States … the enslaved were relegated to subhuman status for generations.—
Julian Lucas
Julian LucasSlavery officially ended in New Jersey in 1804, but in practice some people remained slaves until 1865, when the ratification of the 13th Amendment formally abolished slavery in the United States.—Suzanne Travers
see also chattel slavery
Suzanne Travers
b
: the state of a person who is forced usually under threat of violence to labor for the profit of another
[Frederick] Douglass … escaped from slavery at the age of twenty and quickly emerged as a major orator and leader of the antislavery crusade.—Manning Marable
Manning MarableThe organization says it has helped 135 victims escape sex slavery over the past 10 years.—Audrey McAvoy
Audrey McAvoy
c
: a situation or practice in which people are coerced to work under conditions that are exploitative
… the unit has freed more than 26,000 workers nationwide from debt slavery. Under the practice, common in the Amazon, poor laborers are lured to remote spots where they rack up debts to plantation owners who charge exorbitant prices for everything from food to transportation.—Vivian Sequera
Vivian Sequera… a labor union for prisoners that aims "to end prison slavery," announced the start of a nationwide strike inside U.S. prisons. Wages for incarcerated workers are typically measured in cents per hour, and several states … use the labor of prisoners without paying them at all.—Daniel A. Gross
see also wage slavery
Daniel A. Gross2
: submission to a dominating influence
slavery to habit
… it will probably be left to the next administration to act hopefully in a bold and visionary manner to free us from our slavery to oil.—Alon Ben-Meir
Alon Ben-MeirExamples of slavery in a Sentence
Frederick Douglass was central advocate for the abolition of slavery.
My dad put up with the slavery of working in the coal mines every day of his adult life.
Recent Examples on the Web
The replacement panels do not include some of detail in the earlier ones, such as a map of slave trade routes and a timeline on slavery.
—
Geoff Mulvihill,
Los Angeles Times,
4 July 2026
For eight years, the group rallied city officials, politicians and advocates to petition the National Park Service and the city of Philadelphia to build a slavery memorial at the President's House.
—
Deena Zaru,
ABC News,
4 July 2026
William Carney, a man who escaped slavery to become a Union soldier in the Civil War and who was awarded the Medal of Honor for protecting the American flag from touching the ground during battle.
—
Diego Mendoza,
CNN Money,
4 July 2026
The Interior Department can now revamp the exhibit outside Washington’s Philadelphia home from one about slavery under Washington to one that includes new educational panels with less discussion of slavery.
—
Molly Parks,
The Washington Examiner,
4 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for slavery
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Geoff Mulvihill,
Los Angeles Times,
4 July 2026
For eight years, the group rallied city officials, politicians and advocates to petition the National Park Service and the city of Philadelphia to build a slavery memorial at the President's House.
—
Deena Zaru,
ABC News,
4 July 2026
William Carney, a man who escaped slavery to become a Union soldier in the Civil War and who was awarded the Medal of Honor for protecting the American flag from touching the ground during battle.
—
Diego Mendoza,
CNN Money,
4 July 2026
The Interior Department can now revamp the exhibit outside Washington’s Philadelphia home from one about slavery under Washington to one that includes new educational panels with less discussion of slavery.
—
Molly Parks,
The Washington Examiner,
4 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for slavery
Cite this Entry
“Slavery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slavery. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
slavery
noun
slav·ery
ˈslāv-(ə-)rē
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
