slave trade
noun
: trafficking of enslaved people
especially, in U.S. history
: the business or practice of capturing, transporting, selling, and buying enslaved African people for profit prior to the American Civil War
Examples of slave trade in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
African and Caribbean leaders are demanding financial compensation, debt cancellation and formal apologies from countries that benefited from the transatlantic slave trade after adopting a sweeping reparations plan at a conference in Ghana.
—
Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 21 June 2026
The Caribbean island nation of around 159,000 was colonized by the Dutch in the 1600s and became a hub for the Atlantic slave trade.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 20 June 2026
For European and American slave traders, iron shackles were seen simply as tools that helped run the transatlantic slave trade.
—Terry Tang, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
Norwegian involvement in the transatlantic slave trade was conveniently blamed on the Danes who ruled us in various ways until 1814, after which we were given to Sweden as a prize for beating the Danes in the Napoleonic Wars.
—Ola Morris Innset, The Dial, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for slave trade
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.
Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 21 June 2026
The Caribbean island nation of around 159,000 was colonized by the Dutch in the 1600s and became a hub for the Atlantic slave trade.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 20 June 2026
For European and American slave traders, iron shackles were seen simply as tools that helped run the transatlantic slave trade.
—Terry Tang, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
Norwegian involvement in the transatlantic slave trade was conveniently blamed on the Danes who ruled us in various ways until 1814, after which we were given to Sweden as a prize for beating the Danes in the Napoleonic Wars.
—Ola Morris Innset, The Dial, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for slave trade
Cite this Entry
“Slave trade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slave%20trade. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
