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

However, the replacement panels do not include some of detail in the earlier ones, such as a map of slave trade routes and a timeline on slavery. — Corey Williams, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026

Arriving in the Americas around the 17th century through the transatlantic slave trade, okra became a mainstay in the region. — Trelani Michelle, Southern Living, 10 July 2026

Esek Hopkins left his family farm at age 20 to become a sailor, becoming a successful captain and merchant through the Atlantic slave trade, according to the RIHS. — Catherine Messier, The Providence Journal, 3 July 2026

The South cried hypocrisy on slavery, given that the seamen of Providence, Rhode Island, played a central role in the Atlantic slave trade. — James Traub, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1701, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for slave trade

• accolade
• ambuscade
• antegrade
• balustrade
• barricade
• cannonade
• cavalcade
• centigrade
• chambermaid
• colonnade
• countertrade
• disobeyed