1. People who engaged in blackbirding; those who forcibly recruited or kidnapped people (especially from the Pacific Islands) to work as laborers, often under exploitative conditions.
Usage: historical; often used in plural; refers to a practice primarily in the 19th century

Examples

• Blackbirders from European trading companies exploited Pacific Islander communities for cheap labor.
• The blackbirders' practices were condemned by missionaries and human rights advocates of the era.
• Many blackbirders operated in the South Pacific during the 1800s, recruiting workers for plantations.
• Historical records document how blackbirders deceived or coerced indigenous people into servitude.
• The legacy of blackbirders' activities continues to affect Pacific Island nations today.