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
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Sculptor Maddy Inez, granddaughter of Betye Saar, crafts a series of ceramic vessels — each an ode to different plants brought over during the transatlantic slave trade — reframing gardening as an act of resistance. Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026 Sixteen original structures are on the property, along with two permanent exhibitions about the history of the transatlantic slave trade and slavery in Louisiana. Catherine Garcia, TheWeek, 21 Apr. 2026 Angola, on the southwest coast of Africa, was considered to be the epicenter of the transatlantic slave trade as a Portuguese colony. ABC News, 18 Apr. 2026 However, these systems and traditions were disrupted by the slave trade. Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for slave trade

Word History

First Known Use

1701, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of slave trade was in 1701

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Cite this Entry

“Slave trade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slave%20trade. Accessed 6 May. 2026.

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