slave trade

American  

noun

1. the business or process of capturing, transporting, and selling human beings into chattel slavery, especially Black Africans brought to the New World prior to the mid-19th century.

---

slave trade British  

noun

1. the business of trading in slaves, esp the transportation of Black Africans to America from the 16th to 19th centuries

---

slave trade Cultural  

1. The transportation of slaves from Africa to North and South America between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. Congress banned the importing of slaves into the United States in 1808.

---

Other Word Forms

• slave-trader
  noun
• slave-trading
  noun

Etymology

Origin of slave trade

First recorded in 1725–35

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

slave trade

The palace said discussions about the colonial legacy and the slave trade were "important" but "primarily matters for governments to address".

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

Modern British royals have expressed remorse for the brutal slave trade that enriched their ancestors, but like the UK government have not issued an official apology for the slave trade.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

Anyone who contributed financially to the transatlantic slave trade, or to a company enabling the trade, is listed in the database.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

This year has seen a dramatic change in tone in the global conversation about the transatlantic slave trade.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

As for the slave trade, the sooner that despicable traffic was ended, the better for everybody.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis