1
: a person under the protection of a feudal lord to whom they have vowed homage and fealty : a feudal tenant
2
: one in a subservient or subordinate position
vassal
adjective
Examples of vassal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Europeans will either become vassals of those empires or learn to stand on their own.
—
Robert Kagan,
The Atlantic,
19 June 2026
At the time, while the Zhou royal house nominally ruled the Central Plains, their vassal states competed with one another for resources.
—
Anne Doran,
ARTnews.com,
8 Apr. 2026
Cuba would not accept to become a vassal state or a dependent state from any other country or any other superpower.
—
NBC news,
22 Mar. 2026
It was fed by the strategic hot take that Moscow is an ally-in-waiting for the United States against China, rather than – increasingly – an energy-producing vassal to Beijing.
—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vassal
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.
Robert Kagan,
The Atlantic,
19 June 2026
At the time, while the Zhou royal house nominally ruled the Central Plains, their vassal states competed with one another for resources.
—
Anne Doran,
ARTnews.com,
8 Apr. 2026
Cuba would not accept to become a vassal state or a dependent state from any other country or any other superpower.
—
NBC news,
22 Mar. 2026
It was fed by the strategic hot take that Moscow is an ally-in-waiting for the United States against China, rather than – increasingly – an energy-producing vassal to Beijing.
—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vassal
Cite this Entry
“Vassal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vassal. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
vassal
noun
vas·sal
ˈvas-əl 
: a person in the Middle Ages who received protection and land from a lord in return for loyalty and service
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
