Slave

/sleɪv/

Meaning & Definition

noun

A person who is legally owned by another and is forced to work for that person without pay.

The plantation owner had many slaves working in the fields.

A person who is severely oppressed or controlled by another person or an institution.

He felt like a slave to his demanding job, with no time for himself.

A device or component that is controlled by another device (the master) in a system.

In the computer network, one computer acted as the master while the others were slaves.

From Old French 'esclave', from Latin 'sclavus', from the Byzantine Greek 'sklabos', meaning Slav.

slave to the grind

Someone who works tirelessly, especially at a job they dislike.

wage slave

A person who depends on wages for a living and has little control over their life.

slave away

To work very hard for a long period of time.

freeman

A person who is not a slave; someone who has freedom.

servitude

The state of being a slave or completely subject to someone more powerful.

bondage

The state of being bound to someone as a slave.

A worker who is overworked and underpaid.

I feel like a slave to my job with these long hours.

Someone who is deeply devoted to or obsessed with something.

He's a slave to his video games, playing all weekend.