What does "slave" mean?
A person who is held in servitude as the property of another person, and whose labor (and often also whose body and life) is subject to the owner's volition and control.
Slave
/sleɪv/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person who is held in servitude as the property of another person, and whose labor (and often also whose body and life) is subject to the owner's volition and control.
- Grammar: slave is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: addict, agent, ancilla, apple polisher.
- Useful contrasts: roman freedman, ahura, baal.
- Usage evidence: I refuse to be treated like a slave by you.
How to use "slave"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "slave" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "slave" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "slave" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "slave" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "slave" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "addict" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "slave", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person who is held in servitude as the property of another person, and whose labor (and often also whose body and life) is subject to the owner's volition and control.
"Fear of their cargo bred a savage cruelty into the crew. One captain, to strike terror into the rest, killed a slave and dividing heart, liver and entrails into 300 pieces made each of the slaves eat one, threatening those who refused with the same torture. Such incidents were not rare."
- 2 Alternative form of Slavey. alt-of, alternative
- 3 a person who is owned by someone wordnet
- 4 A drudge; one who labors or is obliged (e.g. by prior contract) to labor like a slave with limited rights, e.g. an indentured servant. figuratively
- 5 Obsolete form of Slav. alt-of, obsolete
"Slaves or Slavì of Pomerania, with their confederates defeated near Lunden in Scania, […]"
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 someone who works as hard as a slave wordnet
- 7 An abject person. figuratively
"Art thou the ſlaue that with thy breath haſt kill'd / Mine innocent child?"
- 8 someone entirely dominated by some influence or person wordnet
- 9 One who has no power of resistance to something, one who surrenders to or is under the domination of something. figuratively
"a slave to passion, to strong drink, or to ambition"
- 10 A submissive partner in a BDSM relationship who consensually submits to, sexually or personally, serving one or more masters or mistresses.
"In the clip the black female “slave” dons a chain around her neck for which her white mistress possesses the key. The black woman sub is further disciplined by the power of speech—the force of silence."
- 11 A sex slave, a person who is forced against their will to perform, for another person or group, sexual acts on a regular or continuing basis.
- 12 A device (such as a secondary flash or hard drive) that is subject to the control of another (a master).
"If you administer your own reverse DNS zones, remember to include them in your slave configuration."
Verb
- 1 To work as a slaver, to enslave people.
"MASSINISSA: Wilt thou be slaved? SOPHONISBA: No, free"
- 2 work very hard, like a slave wordnet
- 3 To work hard. intransitive
"I was slaving all day over a hot stove."
- 4 To place a device under the control of another. transitive
"to slave a hard disk"
Proper Noun
- 1 Alternative form of Slavey. alt-of, alternative
- 2 Synonym of Sclavia.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"I refuse to be treated like a slave by you."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "slave"?
Common synonyms include: addict, agent, ancilla, apple polisher, apple-polisher, appliance.
How do you use "slave" in a sentence?
I refuse to be treated like a slave by you.
How do you pronounce "slave"?
Pronounced /sleɪv/.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English sclave, from Old French sclave, from Medieval Latin sclavus (“slave”), from Late Latin Sclavus (“Slav”), traditionally assumed to be because Slavs were often forced into slavery in the Middle Ages. The Latin word is from Byzantine Greek Σκλάβος (Sklábos); see that entry and Slav for more. Displaced native Old English þēow. Thrall and bondsman/bondswoman, however, remain common synonyms. Doublet of ciao and Slav. An alternative hypothesis derives sclavus from Ancient Greek σκῡλεύω (skūleúō), σκῡλάω (skūláō, “to strip or despoil a slain enemy”).