ə̇nˈslāv, en- verb
Etymology: en- (I) + slave (n.)
transitive verb
1. : to reduce to slavery : make a slave of
free peasants reduced to serfdom or enslaved
broadly : to hold in an inferior or subject state : subjugate
millions of people held in subjugation, enslaved by poverty and illiteracy — W.O.Douglas
millions of workers … pay tribute … and their money is being used further to enslave the American people — M.K.Hart
2. : to obtain such influence over as to make slavishly subject
drugs that enslave the will
even the most pleasant indulgences can end by enslaving the indulger
intransitive verb
: a make a person slavish
declares that sex enslaves — G.A.Chapman
routine duties that bind but do not narrow or enslave — R.B.Perry