profiling

American  

[proh-fahy-ling] / ˈproʊ faɪ lɪŋ /

noun

1. the use of personal characteristics or behavior patterns to make generalizations about a person, as in

2. the use of these characteristics to determine whether a person may be engaged in illegal activity, as in

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profiling British  

/ ˈprəʊˌfaɪlɪŋ /

noun

1. the practice of categorizing people and predicting their behaviour according to particular characteristics such as race or age

   racial profiling

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Example Sentences

This passion for understanding the dimensions of profiling would forever shape Harris’ storytelling.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2026

But thanks to a breakthrough in DNA profiling, that's now changed.

From BBC • Feb. 19, 2026

Even Palantir’s own employees have expressed concerns about potential ethnic profiling and democratic norms.

From Slate • Jan. 28, 2026

"These are the bacteria where the signal is strongest, but many more microbes could be affected once we have better microbiome profiling methods."

From Science Daily • Dec. 23, 2025

Justyce already knew about the superpredator myth—he’d stumbled upon the whole thing while trying to deal with his own profiling trauma.

From "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone