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Since jugus means "yoke" in Latin, subjugate means literally "bring under the yoke". Farmers control oxen by means of a heavy wooden yoke over their shoulders. In ancient Rome, conquered soldiers, stripped of their uniforms, might actually be forced to pass under an ox yoke as a sign of submission to the Roman victors. Even without an actual yoke, what happens to a population that has come under the control of another can be every bit as humiliating. In dozens of countries throughout the world, ethnic minorities are denied basic rights and view themselves as subjugated by their country's government, army, and police.
Examples of subjugate in a Sentence
Astha Rajvanshi, NBC news, 16 July 2025
This defeatism has been supported by a second, equally pernicious assumption: that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s commitment to subjugating Ukraine cannot be deterred.
—Michael Carpenter, Foreign Affairs, 1 July 2025
Braiding traditions across the African diaspora both predate and defy the colonial confines set forth to erase and subjugate Black communities.
—Essence, 19 June 2025
Barry offers audiences entry into a sinister world driven by greed, power and the desire to subjugate others.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 15 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Subjugate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subjugate. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
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subjugate
verb
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