slaver

1 of 3

verb

sla·​ver ˈsla-vər How to pronounce slaver (audio) ˈslā- How to pronounce slaver (audio) ˈslä- How to pronounce slaver (audio)
slavered; slavering ˈsla-v(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce slaver (audio)
ˈslā-,
ˈslä-
Synonyms of slavernext

intransitive verb

: drool, slobber

transitive verb

archaic : to smear with or as if with saliva

slaver

2 of 3

noun (1)

: saliva dribbling from the mouth

slaver

3 of 3

noun (2)

slav·​er ˈslā-vər How to pronounce slaver (audio)
1
a
: a ship used in the slave trade
b
: a person engaged in the slave trade
2
: white slaver

Synonyms

Verb

Noun (1)

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of slaver in a Sentence

Verb a dog slavering over a bone Noun (1) slaver dripped from the snarling dog's jaws
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Sue has no discernible personality or thoughts, but the TV network — led by a slavering man named Harvey (Dennis Quaid) — has hired her for this hosting gig, the moment that will solidify her stardom. — Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2025 One decorous young professional after another is attacked and transformed into a slavering monster, until at last all the residents converge in the heated pool. — Becca Rothfeld, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2024
Noun
An exception was post-apartheid South Africa, where Jaco Boshoff, a researcher at the Iziko Museums, was looking for a Dutch slaver called the Meermin. — Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025 The Vigilance Committee subscribed to papers including the Baltimore Sun and Richmond Dispatch, which carried advertisements from slavers looking for runaways. — Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 10 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for slaver

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse slafra to slaver; akin to Middle Dutch slabben to slaver

Noun (2)

slave entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1827, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of slaver was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing slaver

Rhymes for slaver

See All Rhymes for slaver

Browse Nearby Words

slaver
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Slaver.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slaver. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

slaver

2 of 2 noun
slav·​er
ˈslā-vər
1
: a person who traffics or holds enslaved people
2
a ship used to traffic enslaved people

Medical Definition

slaver

2 of 2 noun
: saliva dribbling from the mouth

More from Merriam-Webster on slaver

Nglish: Translation of slaver for Spanish Speakers

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

13 Unusually Long English Words

9 Superb Owl Words

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things
See More

Popular Features

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

13 Unusually Long English Words

9 Superb Owl Words
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
girl-pencil-test
Challenging Standardized Test Words Quiz Vol. 3 You’re on your own for the math section.
See All