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

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

From BBC

Innovations in recent years to make testing methods more sophisticated include thermal imaging, light analysis using lasers, and DNA profiling.

From BBC

DNA profiling was in the early stages so it couldn't be used, but Dr Richard Shepherd, former Home Office forensic pathologist, said evidence from the body led them to the truth.

From BBC

So he said was disappointed by McDonnell’s unwillingness to call out racial profiling and excessive force by federal agents in Minneapolis and elsewhere.

From Los Angeles Times

"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