slave labor

American  

noun

1. persons, especially a large group, performing labor under duress or threats, as prisoners in a concentration camp; a labor force of slaves or slavelike prisoners.

2. labor done by such a labor force.

3. any coerced or poorly remunerated work.

   Data entry at that salary is slave labor.

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Other Word Forms

• slave-labor
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of slave labor

First recorded in 1810–20

Example Sentences

With the 1793 invention of the cotton gin—which separated cotton fibers from its seeds with a previously undreamed-of efficiency—America’s plantation economy expanded exponentially and so did its use of slave labor.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025

“It’s not down to paying Canadians less or slave labor or having different governmental incentives,” said Johnston.

From Slate • Mar. 8, 2025

Nor does Moscow’s subway system — built with slave labor — pose some grand indictment of America, as Carlson insinuated.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2024

Despite the horrific and complex system of slave labor camps, plantations and rural and urban settings — enslaved Africans musical traditions and instruments were upheld and passed down by generations.

From Salon • Feb. 15, 2024

That was not because chiefdoms were more kindly disposed toward defeated enemies but because the greater economic specialization of states, with more mass production and more public works, provided more uses for slave labor.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond