bondage

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In one fell swoop, Congress used its guarantee clause authority to establish multiracial democracy where human bondage had previously held sway, enfranchising huge numbers of formerly enslaved Black Americans and remaking Southern society.

From Slate • Jun. 3, 2026

For St. Augustine, desire was the bondage of the divided self, which willed the good but somehow willed more strongly not to do it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

CAL also found evidence of debt bondage, a form of forced labor that involves “recruitment fees,” often paid with a loan, with workers essentially indentured until their debts are settled.

From Salon • Apr. 2, 2024

In Brazil's penal code, the definition of slavery is not just forced labour, it's also debt bondage, degrading work conditions and long hours that risk workers' health.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2024

We spake it during supper, as once, at the inception of our Regiment, all told the tales of escape; now we tell the tales of the return of soldiers to bondage.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson