slave
person owned and forced to work
A person who is owned by another person and must work for them without pay or freedom.
a slave of [someone]; a slave in [a place/time]
- Millions of Africans were taken from their homes and sold as slaves in the Americas.
- The law at that time allowed people to buy and sell slaves as property.
- Former slaves faced long struggles to gain equal rights after slavery was ended.
- He was born a slave on a plantation and spent his early life working in the fields.
- The museum tells the story of the lives of enslaved people, not just the owners of slaves.
- In the past, many people were slaves and had no freedom.
- A slave had to work all day and did not get paid.
- The slaves were treated very badly by their owners.
- The government passed a new law to free all the slaves.
- We read a book in class about a boy who was born as a slave.
person controlled by habit or influence
A person who lets a habit or thing control them so much that they feel they cannot stop.
a slave to [something]
- He’s a slave to his phone and checks it every few minutes.
- She refuses to be a slave to fashion and wears what she likes.
- Don’t become a slave to work; make time for your family and friends.
- I used to be a slave to my daily routine, but now I try to be more flexible.
- If you are a slave to sugar, it can be very hard to change your diet.
- He is a slave to coffee and drinks it all day.
- She is a slave to her job and works every night.
- I don’t want to be a slave to my phone.
- My uncle is a slave to money and only thinks about work.
- Do not be a slave to your bad habits.
work extremely hard for long time
To work very, very hard for a long time, often doing difficult or boring work.
to slave away at [something]; to slave away over [something]
- I’ve been slaving away at this report all weekend.
- She slaved away over a hot stove to prepare the holiday meal.
- They slaved away for years to build up their small business.
- He’s been slaving away at his desk since early this morning.
- We slaved away on the project, but the boss barely noticed.
- I slaved away on my homework last night.
- She slaved away in the kitchen for three hours.
- They slaved away at the factory all day.
- He is slaving away to finish the project.
- We slaved away all weekend to clean the house.
device controlled by another device
In technology, a machine or program that is controlled by another main machine or program.
a slave device; a slave server; a slave cylinder
- The controller sends commands to each slave device on the bus.
- In the old master-slave setup, the slave server simply copied data from the main server.
- Many projects are replacing the terms "master" and "slave" with more neutral labels like "primary" and "replica."
- This cylinder acts as the slave and moves only when the master cylinder applies pressure.
- The slave node receives tasks from the master node and reports the results back.
- The main computer controls the slave device.
- In this system, one server is the master and the other is the slave.
- The master sends a signal and the slave moves.
- Some companies now use other words instead of "master" and "slave" for devices.
- The slave unit does what the main unit tells it to do.
- Base: slave
- Plural: slaves
a slave to fashion
1person ruled by fashion trends
Someone who always follows the newest clothes and styles, even when it is expensive or not practical.
- She’s such a slave to fashion that she buys a new coat every season.
- I used to be a slave to fashion, but now I just wear what is comfortable.
- He doesn’t want to be a slave to fashion and prefers simple clothes.
be a slave to
1be strongly controlled by something
To let a habit, activity, or thing control you so much that you feel you cannot stop or change it.
- Don’t be a slave to your phone; turn it off sometimes.
- He’s a slave to his schedule and never does anything spontaneous.
- Many people feel they are slaves to their inbox at work.
master and slave
1controlling and controlled devices
A technical setup where one main device or program (the master) controls another device or program (the slave).
- Older documentation often describes a master and slave arrangement between the two drives.
- Many engineers now avoid the phrase "master and slave" and use terms like "primary and secondary" instead.
- In the master and slave system, the slave only acts when the master sends a command.
sex slave
1person forced into sexual slavery
A person who is forced to have sex and is controlled like an object or property, often as part of human trafficking.
- Police rescued several women who had been kept as sex slaves.
- The documentary tells the story of a young man sold as a sex slave.
- International groups work to free sex slaves and support survivors.
slave away
1work very hard for long time
To work very hard for a long time, often doing boring or tiring work and not getting much thanks or money.
- She’s been slaving away in the kitchen all afternoon.
- We slaved away on that presentation, and it was over in ten minutes.
- I don’t want to slave away in an office for the rest of my life.
slave driver
1person who makes others overwork
A person, especially a boss or leader, who makes other people work very hard and gives them little rest or thanks.
- My new boss is a real slave driver.
- Don’t be such a slave driver; let the team take a break.
- He has a reputation as a slave driver who always demands overtime.
slave labor
1forced unpaid or very unfair work
Work done by people who are forced to work and are not paid, or are paid very little and treated very badly.
- The report exposed the use of slave labor in the factory.
- Buying very cheap clothes can sometimes support slave labor.
- They protested against what they called modern slave labor on the farms.
slave market
1place for buying and selling slaves
A place where slaves are bought and sold as property.
- The city was once a major slave market.
- Families were often separated at slave markets.
- The guide pointed out the square that had been used as a slave market.
slave over a hot stove
1work very hard cooking
To cook for a long time and work very hard, often in a hot kitchen, usually said in a slightly joking way.
- I spent all day slaving over a hot stove for this dinner.
- She’s not going to slave over a hot stove every weekend for ungrateful guests.
- After slaving over a hot stove for hours, he was too tired to eat.
slave owner
1person who owns slaves
A person who owns one or more slaves as their property.
- He is a descendant of both slaves and slave owners.
- Many slave owners grew rich from unpaid labor.
- The film shows the life of a cruel slave owner on a plantation.
slave ship
1ship used to carry slaves
A ship used to carry slaves, especially across the sea during the slave trade.
- The slaves were packed tightly into the hold of the slave ship.
- Many people died on the long journeys of the slave ships.
- The novel describes the horrors of life on a slave ship.
slave trade
1system of buying and selling slaves
The business of buying and selling people as slaves and moving them from place to place.
- The transatlantic slave trade lasted for hundreds of years.
- Many ports grew rich from the slave trade.
- The museum has an exhibit about the history of the slave trade.
treated like a slave
1be made to work without respect
To be made to work very hard and be given little freedom or respect, as if you were a slave.
- He said he was treated like a slave at his last job.
- Many migrant workers complain that they are treated like slaves.
- She refuses to be treated like a slave in her own home.
work like a slave
1work extremely hard under pressure
To work extremely hard, often for a long time and with little rest or thanks.
- We worked like slaves to finish the project on time.
- He works like a slave for that company and still gets no respect.
- I’m tired of working like a slave for such low pay.