slaves 1 of 2

plural of slave
1
as in bondsmen
a person who is considered the property of another person many American slaves reached freedom in the North through the network known as the Underground Railroad

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in laborers
a person who does very hard or dull work unappreciated office slaves who perform the necessary but tedious task of filing paperwork

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

slaves

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of slave

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of slaves
Noun
Also set to be removed from public view is information at Harpers Ferry National Historic Park in West Virginia, where abolitionist John Brown led a raid with the intention of arming slaves for a revolt. News Desk, Artforum, 18 Sep. 2025 The law forced people in northern states to aid in returning escaped slaves or face imprisonment and/or a fine. La Risa R. Lynch, jsonline.com, 17 Sep. 2025 There were slaves and there were captives in the West. Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025 Inside the first Colosseum, the masses of Rome watched slaves and animals butcher one another. Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025 Paired with the exhibit will be a collection of slavery documents from AARLCC, such as bills of sale for slaves, insurance documents, and emancipation documents, Hobbs said. Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025 About 11 percent of Africans brought to Grenada as slaves between 1669 and 1808 are believed to have been Sierra Leonean, like my parents, whose direct lineage avoided the ships by grace alone. Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 23 Aug. 2025 Some suggested returning slaves to Africa. Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2025 Here, too, were the horses, transporting escaping slaves across rivers, pulling them in carriages, carrying them to the next stop on the railroad. Bitter Kalli august 19, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slaves
Noun
  • The figure in Nepal is even higher — 20% — which observers say has pushed young people to leave the country in droves to find jobs in neighboring India as well as in other regions such as the Middle East, where they’re often employed as laborers.
    Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 15 Sep. 2025
  • The three of them crammed into a single room in a small blue house full of Spanish-speaking laborers.
    ProPublica, ProPublica, 13 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • In the 1841 census, fourteen people were living in the farmhouse, nine of them children, three servants.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Sep. 2025
  • The second level includes separate men’s and ladies’ coatrooms and six servants’ rooms.
    Robert Khederian, Curbed, 17 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • High-skilled workers will see income growth, while low-skill workers will be competing for a decreasing number of job openings.
    Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
  • If tax records and documents do not add up, employers and employees may be arrested and detained as investigators sort out who is illegally present in the United States or illegally employing workers.
    Anna Giaritelli, The Washington Examiner, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • In recent decades, as China has laid down vast networks of high-speed rail and thrown up shimmering cities, Americans have developed a deepening sense that their own country struggles to get things done.
    The New Yorker, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
  • He was sacked six times by a team that struggles to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
    Steve Silverman, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Plus, bail bondsmen are the ultimate local rent seekers.
    Dan Gooding Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • And in a constantly changing world, Keast strives to keep members abreast of everything from weapons platforms to pressing global and domestic threats.
    Ellen Mitchell, The Hill, 18 Sep. 2025
  • This is despite 77% of HR leaders saying their company strives to be exceedingly fair during layoffs.
    Mark C. Perna, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Ten category winners will receive $50,000 each, with one school taking home $500,000 to scale what works.
    Jaime Catmull, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
  • But that only works if there’s honesty about what went wrong and humility in how to correct it.
    Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 18 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Slaves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slaves. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.

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