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
James by Percival Everett Edward Salem X Days Since the Genocide Began
a poem
Fintan O’Toole
Like ‘Being Friends with a Hurricane’
For the fixers, enablers, and vassals who surround Donald Trump, the rewards of his friendship are not worth the risks.
—
Marilynne Robinson, The New York Review of Books, 26 June 2024
That's why Obama didn't intervene as Iran and Russia split Syria or when Iran turned Iraq into a vassal.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
Washington’s adversaries have proxies, clients, dependents, and vassals rather than actual friends.
—Nadia Schadlow, Foreign Affairs, 9 Oct. 2024
According to the document, Indigenous people could either voluntarily surrender their sovereignty and become vassals or bring war upon themselves – and perhaps lose their sovereignty anyway, after much bloodshed.
—Diego Javier Luis, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for vassal 
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.
Marilynne Robinson, The New York Review of Books, 26 June 2024
That's why Obama didn't intervene as Iran and Russia split Syria or when Iran turned Iraq into a vassal.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
Washington’s adversaries have proxies, clients, dependents, and vassals rather than actual friends.
—Nadia Schadlow, Foreign Affairs, 9 Oct. 2024
According to the document, Indigenous people could either voluntarily surrender their sovereignty and become vassals or bring war upon themselves – and perhaps lose their sovereignty anyway, after much bloodshed.
—Diego Javier Luis, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for vassal
Dictionary Entries Near vassal
Cite this Entry
“Vassal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vassal. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share