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
Perloo is a nod to the Gullah Geechee people, whose tongue carried more African than English words, and to their ancestors before them, who brought the blueprint for this meal from Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia, and Sierra Leone during the transatlantic slave trade.
—
Staff Author, Southern Living, 24 Sep. 2025
King Henry’s laws adamantly forbade chattel slavery, outlawed colonialism, and created an economically robust, financially solvent Black state, one not dependent on the transatlantic slave trade.
—Marlene L. Daut
september 22, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2025
Since 2017, Rosales has turned that absence into a bold visual language—one that not only centers West African spirituality but also traces its survival through colonization, enslavement, and the transatlantic slave trade.
—Yola Robert, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Last year, Benin adopted a law opening the door to citizenship for descendants with connections to the country, including through DNA testing, and who were forced to leave through the slave trade.
—Deborah Barfield Berry, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025
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.
Staff Author, Southern Living, 24 Sep. 2025
King Henry’s laws adamantly forbade chattel slavery, outlawed colonialism, and created an economically robust, financially solvent Black state, one not dependent on the transatlantic slave trade.
—Marlene L. Daut
september 22, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2025
Since 2017, Rosales has turned that absence into a bold visual language—one that not only centers West African spirituality but also traces its survival through colonization, enslavement, and the transatlantic slave trade.
—Yola Robert, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Last year, Benin adopted a law opening the door to citizenship for descendants with connections to the country, including through DNA testing, and who were forced to leave through the slave trade.
—Deborah Barfield Berry, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025
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 30 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share