- 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.
"The stability of Niger is fundamental to the security of the entire Sahel region, crucial also for countering illicit trafficking and irregular migratory flows," Tajani said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026
“Wildlife trafficking disrupts national and global ecosystems and puts animals on the path to extinction,” Jeff Flocken, president and chief executive of the Aquarium of the Pacific, said in a news release.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Preventing that trafficking is difficult in part because authorities often encounter scales rather than intact animals.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
As Moss told Jewish Insider at the time, those attacks “touch many people’s ears as if it’s trafficking antisemitism.”
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
In light of new evidence, Matthias Benedik Helvar is granted full and immediate pardon for all charges of slave trafficking.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.