forced labor

noun

1

: very hard physical work that someone is forced to do

The prisoners endured years of forced labor.

2

: a group of people who are made to work very hard for no money

also : a system that allows this

The railroad was built with/by forced labor.

Examples of forced labor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The new 15-page indictment, obtained by Rolling Stone, did not name any new co-defendants but instead focuses on Combs’ alleged abusive treatment and forced labor of employees who worked across Combs’ multiple businesses. —Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2025

Reports have also documented serious human rights abuses, including overwork, unpaid wages, forced labor and violence. —Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025

So, this was a place of both horror, forced labor and of refuge. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 8 Feb. 2025

In the years leading up to U.S. involvement in the Pacific, the Imperial Japanese Army did deplorable things in China that amounted to mass murder, as well as rape, torture, medical experimentation, and forced labor. —Kevin Chroust, Outside Online, 5 Feb. 2025

Rhymes for forced labor

• belabor
• nonlabor
• neighbor
• neighbour
• saber
• sabre
• tabor

Legal Definition

forced labor

noun

: the act of providing or obtaining the labor of a person by use of or threat of force, physical restraint, serious harm (as physical, psychological, financial, or reputational), or abuse of legal process