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.

Examples of forced labor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The second superseding indictment leveled an additional allegation that the rap mogul subjected his employees to forced labor under inhumane circumstances. —Edward Segarra, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2025

During a brutal four-year rule, the communist-nationalist ideologues of the Khmer Rouge killed between 1.6 million and 3 million people through executions, forced labor and starvation. —Sophal Ear, The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2025

Just this week, 69 programs that combat child labor and forced labor abroad were axed by the Department of Labor. —Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2025

Washington has threatened visa cancellations over Cuba’s medical brigade, saying governments are participating in human trafficking and forced labor. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2025

Rhymes for forced labor

• belabor
• nonlabor
• neighbor
• neighbour
• saber
• sabre
• tabor

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