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Definition of slave

slave

/sleɪv/
slave

Plural:slaves
•
Adjective:slavish
•
Past Simple:slaved
•
Past Participle:slaved
•
Present Participle:slaving
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slave Lexical Profile

slave Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

A person who is the legal property of another and is forced to work for them without consent or compensation.

Example

"The abolition of the transatlantic trade marked a critical step toward emancipating every slave."


2

A person who is excessively dependent upon or controlled by a habit, influence, or external force.

Example

"He realized he had become a slave to his smartphone, unable to put it down even during dinner."


3

A device, process, or mechanism directly controlled by another device or process.

Example

"The primary server delegates read-only queries to the slave databases to distribute the load."

Synonyms
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Antonyms
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• verb

1

To work excessively hard or labor continuously under difficult conditions.

Example

"She slaved over a hot stove all afternoon to prepare the holiday feast."

Synonyms
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Antonyms
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Word Nuance & Usage

In computing and engineering, the term 'slave' (often paired with 'master') is increasingly being replaced by terms like 'replica', 'follower', or 'secondary' due to its historical association with human enslavement.

• Rhymes for slave

Word Origin & Etymology

From Old French 'esclave' and Medieval Latin 'sclava', originally referring to the Slavic peoples who were frequently conquered and enslaved in the early Middle Ages.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020

Cite this Entry


Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Slave. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/slave
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