enslaver
noun
en·slav·er
in-ˈslā-vər 
en-
plural enslavers
1
: someone or something that forces one or more people into or as if into slavery
The more I read, the more I was led to abhor and detest my enslavers. I could regard them in no other light than a band of successful robbers, who had left their homes, and gone to Africa, and stolen us from our homes …—
Frederick Douglass
Frederick DouglassThe opera's libretto depicts Columbus as hungry for gold and an enslaver of the Tainos …—Bill Kaufman
Bill Kaufman… writings and textbooks and pamphlets—some 100 years old—calling tobacco foul, poisonous, an enslaver of the mind and soul.—Matthew Ebner
Matthew Ebner2
: slaveholder
Six years after she was enslaved on Spanish Point, Prince's enslaver sold her again to another slaveholder …—Christopher Michael Blakley
Christopher Michael Blakley… the Fugitive Slave Act was a source of contention for communities in the North that were torn about whether to comply with returning former slaves to their enslavers.—Bethany Bump
Bethany BumpExamples of enslaver in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Among them is Edmonia Lewis, whose 1875 sculpture Hagar depicts an Egyptian woman from the Bible who was impregnated by her enslaver’s husband.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 1 Apr. 2025
The area was named after Joseph Gee, an enslaver who built a cotton plantation there in 1816.
—Kaila Philo, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Feb. 2025
In all likelihood, one or more Virginians purchased the Lyles children, while another enslaver carried their mother to Savannah, a city with strong slave-trading ties to Richmond.
—Robert Colby, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Feb. 2025
Maria Negro was accused of setting fire to her enslaver’s property in 1681 — a crime often associated with slave resistance.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 9 Mar. 2025
Both the Maryland Gazette and the Virginia Gazette facilitated the capture of enslaved people who had run away by publishing advertisements placed by their enslavers.
—Alexandra Cox, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Mar. 2025
The area was named after Joseph Gee, an enslaver who built a cotton plantation there in 1816.
—Kaila Philo, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Feb. 2025
Meanwhile, Washington was viewed both as the father of the unified nation and as a southerner, enslaver, and head of the convention that produced the slavery-endorsing Constitution.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 12 Feb. 2025
Enslaved people generally bore the name of their enslavers.
—Ron Grossman, Chicago Tribune, 2 Feb. 2025
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Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 1 Apr. 2025
The area was named after Joseph Gee, an enslaver who built a cotton plantation there in 1816.
—Kaila Philo, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Feb. 2025
In all likelihood, one or more Virginians purchased the Lyles children, while another enslaver carried their mother to Savannah, a city with strong slave-trading ties to Richmond.
—Robert Colby, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Feb. 2025
Maria Negro was accused of setting fire to her enslaver’s property in 1681 — a crime often associated with slave resistance.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 9 Mar. 2025
Both the Maryland Gazette and the Virginia Gazette facilitated the capture of enslaved people who had run away by publishing advertisements placed by their enslavers.
—Alexandra Cox, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Mar. 2025
The area was named after Joseph Gee, an enslaver who built a cotton plantation there in 1816.
—Kaila Philo, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Feb. 2025
Meanwhile, Washington was viewed both as the father of the unified nation and as a southerner, enslaver, and head of the convention that produced the slavery-endorsing Constitution.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 12 Feb. 2025
Enslaved people generally bore the name of their enslavers.
—Ron Grossman, Chicago Tribune, 2 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Enslaver.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enslaver. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
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