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

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 job offers and then forced to work in conditions of near-slavery. —ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026

Starting in October, the law prohibits several immigrant populations from accessing Medicaid and ACA coverage, including people who have been granted asylum, refugees, and certain survivors of domestic violence or human trafficking. —Samantha Liss, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026

These include people seeking asylum or refugee status, and people who were victims of human trafficking, or other types of violence, in their home countries. —Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 29 Mar. 2026

Authorities say that Freeman was also investigated late last year as a person of interest in the still-unsolved January 2025 disappearance of Heaven McGee, who was believed to be a victim of human trafficking at the time. —Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1904, in the meaning defined above

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