- present participle of traffic.
trafficking
Americannoun
-
the practice of dealing or trading in a commodity or service, often an illegal one.
drug trafficking.
Etymology
Origin of trafficking
First recorded in 1530–40; traffic ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"To date, 168 victims have now come forward. We will continue to assess victim testimonies for evidence of human trafficking."
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2026
"Last time, the campaign message was one of safe communities and fighting back against trafficking," she said.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
Traditionally, former colonial powers have skirted the issue, expressing regret for the industrial-scale human trafficking but never apologizing for fear that admitting guilt will open the door to a wave of compensation claims.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
French investigators have previously examined his real-estate holdings near Paris as part of a probe into alleged money laundering and rosewood trafficking, though the case was dropped in 2023 due to insufficient evidence.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026
The government forbade any trafficking in Indian antiquities and had given the priest a general concession, authorizing him to catalogue whatever he found and hand it over to the museum.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
