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indentured servant
noun
: a person who signs and is bound by indentures to work for another for a specified time especially in return for payment of travel expenses and maintenance
Examples of indentured servant in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In every direction are street signs that bear the names of the town’s 19th century settlers, who were freeborn Black citizens, the formerly enslaved and indentured servants.
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Donna M. Owens, Baltimore Sun, 16 June 2023
The outline represents Grace Wisher, a free Black child who was Pickersgill’s indentured servant and apprentice.
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Colin Campbell, baltimoresun.com, 26 Aug. 2021
The tensions lie in the rancor between the colony’s Puritan community and the Anglican couple Eleanor and John Billington, who until recently were indentured servants.
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Samantha Harvey, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2020
At the time, the tobacco economy relied on white and black indentured servants with finite contracts and some rights under the law.
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Erin Blakemore, National Geographic, 8 Nov. 2019
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'indentured servant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1723, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of indentured servant was
in 1723
Dictionary Entries Near indentured servant
Cite this Entry
“Indentured servant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indentured%20servant. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.
Kids Definition
indentured servant
noun
: a person who signs and is bound by indentures to work for another for a specified time especially in return for payment of travel expenses, food, and shelter
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