yoke

Cruel or unfair control that limits people’s freedom.

• They lived under the yoke of a cruel ruler.
• The country finally threw off the yoke of foreign rule.
• She dreamed of escaping the yoke of slavery.

How to use it: the yoke of something (They struggled under the yoke of foreign rule.)

Similar words: oppression, subjugation

Opposites: freedom

Common phrases: under the yoke, yoke of slavery, yoke of debt, escape the yoke

A wooden frame placed across two animals’ necks so they can pull a cart or farm tool together.

• The oxen wore a wooden yoke.
• He lifted the yoke onto the animals’ necks.
• Old yokes hang on the wall of the farm museum.

Common phrases: wooden yoke, ox yoke

A shaped piece of clothing across the shoulders or hips that supports the material below it.

• The dress has a lace yoke.
• She sewed the sleeves to the yoke.
• This skirt hangs from a fitted yoke around the hips.

Common phrases: lace yoke, shirt yoke

A close connection, especially marriage, or a duty that joins people together.

• They accepted the yoke of marriage together.
• Friendship became a yoke binding the two families.
• Both partners carried the same yoke of responsibility.

How to use it: the yoke of something (The poem describes the yoke of marriage as a shared duty.)

Similar words: bond, tie

Common phrases: yoke of marriage, shared yoke

A part across a machine that joins or holds other parts together.

• The metal yoke holds the two parts together.
• A cracked yoke caused the shaft to come loose.
• The engineer replaced the yoke in the steering assembly.

Similar words: crosspiece

Common phrases: steering yoke, metal yoke

To put a frame across animals’ necks to join them together for pulling something.

• The farmer yoked the oxen together.
• They yoke the animals before sunrise.
• Two oxen were yoked to the wooden cart.

How to use it: yoke something to something (They yoked the oxen to the cart.)

Similar words: harness

Opposites: unyoke, unharness

Common phrases: yoke the oxen, yoke animals together

To connect people or things closely, sometimes in a way they do not want.

• The project yokes art and science together.
• Their futures were yoked by the agreement.
• Why yoke two unrelated ideas together?

How to use it: yoke A to B (The agreement yoked the smaller company to a larger one.); yoke A and B together (The plan yokes housing and transport together.)

Similar words: link, join, unite, couple

Opposites: separate, disconnect

Common phrases: yoke things together, yoke someone to something

To force someone to remain under harmful control or a heavy duty.

• Debt yoked him to his employer.
• The villagers were yoked to a cruel system.
• She refused to be yoked to endless unpaid work.

How to use it: be yoked to something (The workers were yoked to a system they could not escape.)

Similar words: bind, enslave, subjugate

Opposites: free, liberate

Common phrases: yoke someone to something, yoke into servitude