human trafficking

noun

: organized criminal activity in which human beings are treated as possessions to be controlled and exploited (as by being forced into sex work or involuntary labor)

Examples of human trafficking 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.
Thomas Hicks, 68, of Lakeland, faces numerous charges including human trafficking and using a computer to seduce a child. Steven Yablonski, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026 Dquanzie Blackmon was charged with human trafficking, pimping, and pandering and remains jailed in lieu of $300,000 bail, court records show. Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 29 Apr. 2026 The practice is akin to human trafficking, said Nguyen, who also represents third-country detainees in South Sudan, which is on the verge of civil war. Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026 The illicit industry is closely involved in human trafficking, with foreign nationals employed to run romance and cryptocurrency scams, often after being recruited with false offers of legitimate jobs and then forced to work in conditions of near-slavery. ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for human trafficking

Word History

First Known Use

1904, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of human trafficking was in 1904

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Human trafficking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/human%20trafficking. Accessed 3 May. 2026.

Kids Definition

human trafficking

noun
: organized criminal activity in which human beings are treated as possessions to be controlled and exploited (as by being forced into prostitution or involuntary labor)

Legal Definition

human trafficking

noun
: the business of inducing a person to perform labor or engage in prostitution through force, fraud, or coercion see also labor trafficking, sex trafficking
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