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slaver

[sley-ver] / ˈsleɪ vər /


Frequently Asked Questions

What is another word for slaver?
The word slaver has historically been used to refer to a person who participated in the enslavement of people, or, more specifically, to refer to a ship used to transport enslaved people. Many of the terms historically used in the context of slavery serve to justify or normalize the practice and are now often avoided and replaced with other terms that better reflect and emphasize the humanity of the people who were held captive and forced to labor. Notably, the term enslaved people is now widely used instead of slaves. In parallel with this change, the word enslaver is now often preferred over slaver because it emphasizes such a person’s active participation and complicity in the enslavement of people. Enslaver is also preferred over other once common terms, such as slave owner (which suggests that a person can actually be property) or master (which can imply that such a person has inherent power or authority that justifies their enslavement of people). Unrelated meaning A completely different and unrelated sense of slaver means the same thing as slobber or drool (all three of these words can be used as verbs or nouns). This sense of slaver is much older and derives from a word related to slobber. As a verb, it’s sometimes used figuratively to mean the same thing as fawn, as in Can you believe the way their fans slaver/fawn over those bands?

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.

See Examples For:

Ellen, whose father was a slaver, was white enough to pass, but as a woman she could not easily travel unaccompanied in 1848.

From Los Angeles Times Jan. 16, 2023

The Portuguese monarchy also hired explorers such as Alvise Cadamosto, a Venetian slaver sent to scout the region of Senegambia.

From Textbooks Dec. 14, 2022

The plaque was installed in the church after the 18th Century slaver died in Dorchester in 1744, aged 46, during a visit to England - he was Scottish by birth.

From BBC Sep. 1, 2022

This casting decision makes a clear point: Kind or not, a slaver is still a slaver.

From New York Times May 30, 2022

The slaver pulls out a sack of coins.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

Thus the British, who had been such enthusiastic slavers, went on to force Muslim rulers to end their own version of the practice.

From The Wall Street Journal Oct. 10, 2025

By that time, white slavers had grown so accustomed to ignoring the Emancipation Proclamation, issued more than two years earlier, that even after Juneteenth, the institution of enslavement lingered on.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 19, 2023

Since sharia forbids Muslims from enslaving other Muslims, it became common practice to enslave non-Muslims from regions within reach of Islamic slavers.

From Textbooks Dec. 14, 2022

They could be lamentations or celebrations; at the same time, they could serve as a means of stealthy communication, spreading news outside the ken of white slavers.

From New York Times Sep. 15, 2022

He had not been so foolish as to fight the slavers, as Jorah Mormont had, but that did not mean he had escaped punishment.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

New York’s talent-hungry musical theater slavered for a follow-up.

From New York Times Oct. 8, 2019

Then he did a bit in which he slavered over Sabra hummus and Rold Gold pretzels.

From The New Yorker Oct. 12, 2015

They slavered over the delicious incongruity of this young thruster mixing it up with gimlet-eyed corporate lawyers, and winning.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 7, 2015

Certainly not the critics, who slavered over its Royal Court premiere in 2007 and West End transfer, where the cast included the then-future Doctor Who, Matt Smith.

From The Guardian Jun. 25, 2010

He likes for a fault to be bullied and stormed,Or imprisoned for several days,And hates, for a duty correctly performed,To be slavered with sickening praise.

From More Bab Ballads by Gilbert, W. S. (William Schwenck), Sir

But some of the verdicts weren't just from long-standing critics or those with a dog slavering to get in to the fight.

From BBC May 11, 2026

Miller took one of the better-known characters from Stephen King's ginormous novel and transformed him into a slavering, blithering idiot, adding one more thing to despise atop a mountain of mediocrity.

From Salon Feb. 12, 2021

With Star Wars: The Last Jedi, writer-director Rian Johnson made a point of answering questions set up by The Force Awakens, and giving fans some answers they were slavering for.

From The Verge Dec. 18, 2017

His reputation, however, resides in earthly paradise, with two blockbuster exhibitions this year, drawing tens of thousands to admire his slavering, fluttering, waddling abominations.

From New York Times Mar. 4, 2016

The other two empousai circled Percy, their mouths slavering, ready for another taste.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan




Vocabulary lists containing slaver


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