noun
slaving
noun
1
The practice of capturing, holding, or transporting people as slaves.
"Historians have documented centuries of slaving along that coastline."
2
Working extremely hard, especially at menial or exhausting labor (informal).
"She spent all weekend slaving over a hot stove for the party."
How to Use Slaving
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither the historical crime of enslaving people, or, in everyday casual speech, working yourself to exhaustion.
When to use it
The "working hard" sense is informal and figurative — always distinguish it clearly from the literal, historical meaning.
Common pairings
slaving away
slaving over something
the slaving trade
Word Forms
slavings plural
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Historians have documented centuries of _____ along that coastline.