forced labor

noun

1
: very hard physical work that someone is forced to do
The prisoners endured years of forced labor.
2
: a group of people who are made to work very hard for no money
also : a system that allows this
The railroad was built with/by forced labor.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Flewellen flashes back to middle school in South Miami, where a teacher made a point of stressing that Africans enslaved other Africans, as if that somehow absolved the U.S. from the buying, selling and forced labor of Black people. Tyrone Beasonstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2023 Both companies were among the Japanese businesses that relied on Korean forced labor during the war and were named in the lawsuit brought before the Supreme Court. Choe Sang-hun, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Mar. 2023 Both companies were among the Japanese businesses that relied on Korean forced labor during the war and were named in the lawsuit brought before the Supreme Court. Choe Sang-hun, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2023 There are forced labor considerations associated with modules. Jason Kaminsky, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'forced labor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near forced labor

Cite this Entry

“Forced labor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forced%20labor. Accessed 31 Mar. 2023.

Legal Definition

forced labor

noun
: the act of providing or obtaining the labor of a person by use of or threat of force, physical restraint, serious harm (as physical, psychological, financial, or reputational), or abuse of legal process
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