human trafficking

noun

: organized criminal activity in which human beings are treated as possessions to be controlled and exploited (as by being forced into sex work or involuntary labor)

Examples of human trafficking in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Though not an outright villain like the tyrannical Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme), Dementus exhibits psychopathic behavior throughout the film, engaging in human trafficking and even murder. —Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Jan. 2026

Guests can also be part of helping bigger community causes, fighting human trafficking, hunger. —Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 3 Jan. 2026

Church Pastor David Taylor, 53, is charged in federal court in Detroit with human trafficking conspiracy, forced labor and money laundering and is being held without bond, court records show. —Paul Egan, USA Today, 1 Jan. 2026

Investigators have considered kidnapping and human trafficking as possible factors in her disappearance, as well as the possibility that Camila may have left on her own free will. —Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1904, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

human trafficking

noun

: organized criminal activity in which human beings are treated as possessions to be controlled and exploited (as by being forced into prostitution or involuntary labor)

Legal Definition

human trafficking

noun

: the business of inducing a person to perform labor or engage in prostitution through force, fraud, or coercion see also labor trafficking, sex trafficking