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
David Bond offered a class called The Atlantic World, much of which involved the history of slavery and the slave trade.
—
Brooke Allen, New Yorker, 12 July 2025
Austin was not a center of slave trade, or for that matter, any trade, unlike Houston or Galveston, but more than 20% of its population was African American when the the Civil War began in 1861.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
As the transatlantic slave trade grew, enslaved people in the Americas and the Caribbean created their own versions of the traditional gourd banjo.
—Essence, 29 May 2025
Like many staple Caribbean dishes, ackee and saltfish is a direct result of the Atlantic slave trade.
—Bradley Hohulin, IndyStar, 2 July 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.
Brooke Allen, New Yorker, 12 July 2025
Austin was not a center of slave trade, or for that matter, any trade, unlike Houston or Galveston, but more than 20% of its population was African American when the the Civil War began in 1861.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
As the transatlantic slave trade grew, enslaved people in the Americas and the Caribbean created their own versions of the traditional gourd banjo.
—Essence, 29 May 2025
Like many staple Caribbean dishes, ackee and saltfish is a direct result of the Atlantic slave trade.
—Bradley Hohulin, IndyStar, 2 July 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 5 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share