1
: a person under the protection of a feudal lord to whom he has vowed homage and fealty : a feudal tenant
2
: one in a subservient or subordinate position
vassal
adjective
Examples of vassal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Those on the left blame Trump and his venomous vassal, Stephen Miller, for the incineration of Goodstein’s home.
—
Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 10 Oct. 2025
It was fed by the strategic hot take that Moscow is an ally-in-waiting for the United States against China, rather than – increasingly – an energy-producing vassal to Beijing.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
The Chechens made the mistake of trying to negotiate with Putin in the second war part 2, and ended up with a Soviet dictator and a vassal state handing their oil wealth to the oligarchs in Moscow.
—Joshua Sammons, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Aug. 2025
As well as more Ukrainian land, Russia wants a promise that Ukraine will neuter its army and never join NATO, something its critics say would make Kyiv a vassal of Moscow.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 11 Aug. 2025
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Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 10 Oct. 2025
It was fed by the strategic hot take that Moscow is an ally-in-waiting for the United States against China, rather than – increasingly – an energy-producing vassal to Beijing.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
The Chechens made the mistake of trying to negotiate with Putin in the second war part 2, and ended up with a Soviet dictator and a vassal state handing their oil wealth to the oligarchs in Moscow.
—Joshua Sammons, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Aug. 2025
As well as more Ukrainian land, Russia wants a promise that Ukraine will neuter its army and never join NATO, something its critics say would make Kyiv a vassal of Moscow.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vassal
Cite this Entry
“Vassal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vassal. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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vassal
noun
vas·sal
ˈvas-əl 
: a person in the Middle Ages who received protection and land from a lord in return for loyalty and service
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