noun · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈbɒn.dɪd͡ʒ/
Multicultural-London-English:/ˈbɔn.dɪdʒ/
General-American:/ˈbɑn.dɪd͡ʒ/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:B AA1 N D IH0 JH
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
debt bondage
In Judeo-Christian tradition, the Israelites fled bondage at the hands of the Egyptians, only to wander in the wilderness for the next four decades.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: freedom
2
noun
Meaning 2
The state of lacking freedom; constraint.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly, countable, uncountable
Examples
He lived in financial bondage to his cocaine habit; no matter how much he earned, it all seemed to disappear up his nose.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: freedom
3
noun
Meaning 3
The practice of physically restraining people for sexual pleasure, such as by tying up or shackling.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: lifestyle, sex, sexuality
Examples
Their marriage broke up when she discovered he had been engaging in bondage games with a local dominatrix while he was supposedly working out at the gym.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
Applied to clothing with many buckles, zips, etc., associated with punk and goth subcultures.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: attributive, countable, uncountable
Examples
bondage trousers; bondage jeans; bondage pants
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
sexual practice that involves physically restraining (by cords or handcuffs) one of the partners
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: sexual activity, sexual practice, sex, sex activity
6
noun
Meaning 6
the state of being under the control of another person
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
the state of being under the control of a force or influence or abstract powerhe sought release from his bondage to Satana self freed from the bondage of time"
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
he was in bondage to fear:;
;
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: subjugation, subjection
History
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English bondage (“serfdom”), from British Medieval Latin bondagium (“an inferior tenure held by a bond or husbandman”), from Middle English bond (“tenant farmer, serf”), from Old English bonda (“householder, husband, head of a family”), of Old Norse origin. Sense development influenced by the unrelated terms bond and bind.
Across languages
Translations
75 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
ро́бство
(róbstvo)
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Catalan:
esclavitud
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Chinese Mandarin:
奴役
(núyì)
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Chinese Mandarin:
束縛 /束缚
(shùfù)
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Danish:
slaveri
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Esperanto:
servuto
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Esperanto:
sklaveco
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Finnish:
orjuus
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
French:
esclavage
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
French:
servitude
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Georgian:
მონობა
(monoba)
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
German:
Sklaverei
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Gothic:
𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌻𐌺𐌹𐌽𐌰𐍃𐍃𐌿𐍃
(skalkinassus)
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Ancient Greek:
δουλεία
(douleía)
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Hindi:
ग़ुलामी
(ġulāmī)
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Hindi:
बन्दगी
(bandagī)
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Hungarian:
szolgaság
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Hungarian:
rabszolgaság
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Hungarian:
leigázottság
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Irish:
giallacht
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Italian:
schiavitù
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Latin:
captīvitās
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Māori:
ponongatanga
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Māori:
whakapononga
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Marathi:
गुलामगिरी
(gulāmgirī)
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Marathi:
दास्य
(dāsya)
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Norwegian Bokmål:
slaveri
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Norwegian Nynorsk:
slaveri
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Portuguese:
escravidão
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Russian:
ра́бство
(rábstvo)
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Russian:
нево́ля
(nevólja)
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Swedish:
slaveri
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Turkish:
esaret
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Turkish:
esirlik
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Turkish:
kölelik
— state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery
Bulgarian:
ограничение
(ograničenie)
— state of lacking freedom; constraint
Esperanto:
kateniĝo
— state of lacking freedom; constraint
Finnish:
orjuus
— state of lacking freedom; constraint
French:
esclavage
— state of lacking freedom; constraint
German:
Pflicht
— state of lacking freedom; constraint
Hungarian:
kötelék
— state of lacking freedom; constraint
Hungarian:
rabság
— state of lacking freedom; constraint
Hungarian:
fogság
— state of lacking freedom; constraint
Hungarian:
iga
— state of lacking freedom; constraint
Hungarian:
kiszolgáltatottság
— state of lacking freedom; constraint
Hungarian:
alávetettség
— state of lacking freedom; constraint
Hungarian:
bilincs
— state of lacking freedom; constraint
Hungarian:
béklyó
— state of lacking freedom; constraint
Latin:
captīvitās
— state of lacking freedom; constraint
Marathi:
बंधन
(bandhan)
— state of lacking freedom; constraint
Russian:
зави́симость
(zavísimostʹ)
— state of lacking freedom; constraint
Spanish:
sujeción
— state of lacking freedom; constraint
Turkish:
görev
— state of lacking freedom; constraint
Chinese Mandarin:
人身依附
(rénshēn yīfù)
— practice of tying people up for sexual pleasure
Chinese Mandarin:
綁縛 /绑缚
(bǎngfù, bǎngfú)
— practice of tying people up for sexual pleasure
Czech:
bondáž
— practice of tying people up for sexual pleasure
Danish:
bindeleg
— practice of tying people up for sexual pleasure
Dutch:
bondage
— practice of tying people up for sexual pleasure
Esperanto:
katenado
— practice of tying people up for sexual pleasure
Finnish:
sitomisleikit
— practice of tying people up for sexual pleasure
Finnish:
sitominen
— practice of tying people up for sexual pleasure
French:
bondage
— practice of tying people up for sexual pleasure
Georgian:
ბონდაჟი
(bondaži)
— practice of tying people up for sexual pleasure
Georgian:
დაბმა
(dabma)
— practice of tying people up for sexual pleasure
German:
Bondage
— practice of tying people up for sexual pleasure
Hungarian:
kikötözés
— practice of tying people up for sexual pleasure
Irish:
cuibhriú
— practice of tying people up for sexual pleasure
Italian:
bondage
— practice of tying people up for sexual pleasure
Japanese:
ボンデージ
(bondēji)
— practice of tying people up for sexual pleasure
Japanese:
緊縛
(kinbaku)
— practice of tying people up for sexual pleasure
Japanese:
縛り
(shibari)
— practice of tying people up for sexual pleasure
Korean:
본디지
(bondiji)
— practice of tying people up for sexual pleasure
Marathi:
बाँडेज
(bŏṇḍej)
— practice of tying people up for sexual pleasure
Russian:
бонда́ж
(bondáž)
— practice of tying people up for sexual pleasure
Spanish:
bondage
— practice of tying people up for sexual pleasure
