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

The vehicle had eight other people and no luggage, prompting an officer to suspect him of human trafficking, the report stated. —Ben Finley, Chicago Tribune, 7 June 2025

The charges stem from a 2022 vehicle stop in which the Tennessee Highway Patrol suspected him of human trafficking. —Arkansas Online, 7 June 2025

Detectives with the police department’s human trafficking task force investigated two business, one in the 300 block of West Julian Street and the other in the 1800 block of Sheri Ann Circle, according to Shih. —Jason Green, Mercury News, 5 June 2025

Tate is facing several charges including rape, human trafficking, and controlling prostitution, in the U.K., and rape and human trafficking charges, in Romania. —Sophie Clark, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 June 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