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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At least three strands of Atlantic historiography have proved fruitful thus far in thinking beyond isolated, modern nation-states: studies of the transatlantic slave trade, comparative histories of colonial societies in the Americas, and transatlantic histories of British and American imperialism. Abby Clayton, JSTOR Daily, 29 Apr. 2025 African traditions have influenced the food dished out in New Orleans ever since the city was a major port in the domestic slave trade. Jasmine Browley, Essence, 15 Apr. 2025 Cowrie shells and uncut red-and-black bead tubes manufactured in the 17th century reflect the vast profits Britain piled up from the West African slave trade by trafficking enslaved people to plantations in the Caribbean. Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Apr. 2025 During the transatlantic slave trade, Tasso Island served as a plantation supplying food for captives and British troops stationed at nearby Bunce Island. Lauren Mowery, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2025 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 18 Jun. 2025.

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