1
as in servants
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in labors
to devote serious and sustained effort
slaving over a hot stove
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of slaves
Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 21 Apr. 2026
Some of the first slaves to arrive in Louisiana were sent from Angola, according to historians.
—ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
The massive structure was built between 1805 and 1820 by thousands of former slaves, and stands as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2026
During the colonial era, slaves were forcibly baptized here before being sold.
—Mathew Schmalz, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2026
The Army gave officers who brought along their slaves a monthly ration or its cash equivalent.
—Craig Fehrman, Space.com, 6 Apr. 2026
It was reserved only for slaves, criminals and political rebels.
—John Blake, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2026
In Guinea …rounded by the Portuguese seaman Gil Eanes (Gilianes) in 1434, and some years later the first cargoes of slaves and gold were brought back to Lisbon.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
The 14th Amendment was intended to ensure that Black people, including former slaves, had citizenship, though the Citizenship Clause is written more broadly.
—Mark Sherman, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2026
Noun
Rastus, Westinghouse’s Great Depression-era robot, was the most overtly racialized of these corporate robot slaves.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 21 Apr. 2026
Some of the first slaves to arrive in Louisiana were sent from Angola, according to historians.
—ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
The massive structure was built between 1805 and 1820 by thousands of former slaves, and stands as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2026
During the colonial era, slaves were forcibly baptized here before being sold.
—Mathew Schmalz, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2026
The Army gave officers who brought along their slaves a monthly ration or its cash equivalent.
—Craig Fehrman, Space.com, 6 Apr. 2026
It was reserved only for slaves, criminals and political rebels.
—John Blake, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2026
In Guinea …rounded by the Portuguese seaman Gil Eanes (Gilianes) in 1434, and some years later the first cargoes of slaves and gold were brought back to Lisbon.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
The 14th Amendment was intended to ensure that Black people, including former slaves, had citizenship, though the Citizenship Clause is written more broadly.
—Mark Sherman, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slaves
Noun
-
In 2011, the teenage prince, Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, arrived at USC with a small army of servants for an undergrad filled with luxury Lakers suites, exotic cars and a full-time residence at the Beverly Wilshire hotel.—
Jack Flemming,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
-
Chunhyang tried to get a message to him through servants, but the messages never reached him.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
He is accused of not checking work authorizations before hiring laborers, according to the Post.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
While the independent committee supporting Coyne is backed by Local 89, a laborers union, Crosby has been endorsed by the city’s largest labor union — the Municipal Employees Association — and the region’s largest labor organization, the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Every man and woman who labors in the construction industry deserves that.—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Plus, bail bondsmen are the ultimate local rent seekers.—
Dan Gooding
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Equally concerning is that requiring twice as many workers per case without a plan to recruit or retain them risks widespread gaps in care.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
First, the company engaged in interference and retaliation by issuing discipline to a bargaining committee member for attending bargaining sessions on behalf of their fellow workers — protected activity under federal law.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Anticipated state struggles to regulate foreign apps is why a federal ban would be preferable, 19th News reported.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
1 May 2026
-
In addition to his family situation as a child, Horner's lawyers have presented evidence about his autism diagnosis, struggles with mental health, lead exposure and issues with his brain development in order to convince the jury to sentence him to life in prison instead of death row.—
Steven Rosenbaum,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Add in Michael’s goth love interest, Star (Maria Wirries), and the musical strives to capture some of the cult appeal of the source musical, the plot of which David Hornsby and Chris Hoch’s book follows closely with one notable change.—
Chris Jones,
New York Daily News,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The Eurovision contest strives to put pop music before politics but has repeatedly been embroiled in world events.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Drip irrigation also works well for containers.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
27 Apr. 2026
-
One genius in the room works for OpenAI, a company currently valued at $852 billion.—
Neil Senturia,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Slaves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slaves. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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