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
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.
On indigo blue dye and the slave trade These scenes in the historical record of people being exchanged for a block of indigo were heartbreaking to me. Tonya Mosley, NPR, 28 Jan. 2025 Then, syphilis would have spread to the rest of Europe when the soldiers returned home, as well as through the slave trade and European expansion, according to the statement. Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Dec. 2024 For instance, Sewell-Smith said, finding a distant cousin in Jamaica ‒ which is not uncommon among African Americans because of the slave trade ‒ could be helpful for tracing roots, because Caribbean countries kept national slave lists, while American records were spottier. Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, 26 Dec. 2024 The site honors the lives of those who were enslaved in America through various mediums, including historical artifacts and nearly 50 sculptures, with sections of the park dedicated to the history of the slave trade and acts of resistance. Mark Ellwood, AFAR Media, 23 Dec. 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near slave trade

Cite this Entry

“Slave trade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slave%20trade. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.

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