slaves

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of slave.

   Ancient Rome relied heavily on slaves for labor and household service.

   The ledger recorded the names and ages of the slaves brought aboard the ship.

   Note

   One spelling serves two words here: this plural and the present-tense verb. An article or quantifier before it (the slaves, many slaves) marks the noun. The plural carries every sense of the singular, from people held as property to the figurative drudge. In the sense of being dominated by something it usually takes to: slaves to habit, slaves to fashion.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of slave.

   The chef slaves over each dish, refusing to let a single plate leave the kitchen unfinished.

   My sister slaves at two jobs just to cover the rent each month.

   Note

   Its meaning turns on whether an object follows. Without one it means hard toil, and it usually takes over or at: someone slaves over a stove, or slaves at a job. With an object it has two quite different uses. One is enslaving people. The other is technical: making one device run under the control of another. The spelling is shared with the plural noun.

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