traffic
Americannoun
-
traffic
plural
-
the movement of vehicles, ships, persons, etc., in an area, along a street, through an air lane, over a water route, etc..
the heavy traffic on Main Street.
-
the vehicles, persons, etc., moving in an area, along a street, etc.
-
the transportation of goods for the purpose of trade, by sea, land, or air.
ships of traffic.
-
trade; buying and selling; commercial dealings.
-
trade between different countries or places; commerce.
-
the business done by a railroad or other carrier in the transportation of freight or passengers.
-
the aggregate of freight, passengers, telephone or telegraph messages, etc., handled, especially in a given period.
-
communication, dealings, or contact between persons or groups.
traffic between the Democrats and the Republicans.
-
mutual exchange or communication.
traffic in ideas.
-
trade in some specific commodity or service, often of an illegal nature.
the vast traffic in narcotics.
-
illegal commercial trade in human beings for the purpose of exploiting them.
the traffic in young children.
verb (used without object)
-
traffics,
present (3rd person singular)
-
trafficked,
past participle, past
-
trafficking
present participle
-
to carry on traffic, trade, or commercial dealings.
-
to trade or deal in a specific commodity or service, often of an illegal nature (usually followed byin ).
to traffic in opium.
verb (used with object)
-
traffics,
present (3rd person singular)
-
trafficked,
past participle, past
-
trafficking
present participle
-
(of vehicles or persons) to move over or through (a place).
It's a heavily trafficked bridge.
-
to trade or deal in (a commodity or service).
to traffic guns.
-
to trade in (human beings) for the purpose of exploitation.
He was convicted for trafficking illegal immigrants.
noun
-
-
the vehicles coming and going in a street, town, etc
-
( as modifier )
traffic lights
-
-
the movement of vehicles, people, etc, in a particular place or for a particular purpose
sea traffic
-
-
the business of commercial transportation by land, sea, or air
-
the freight, passengers, etc, transported
-
-
(usually foll by with) dealings or business
have no traffic with that man
-
trade, esp of an illicit or improper kind
drug traffic
-
the aggregate volume of messages transmitted through a communications system in a given period
-
the number of customers patronizing a commercial establishment in a given time period
verb
-
(often foll by in) to carry on trade or business, esp of an illicit kind
-
(usually foll by with) to have dealings
Synonym Usage
See trade.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
trafficsimple
-
trafficssimple
-
have traffickedperfect
-
has traffickedperfect
-
am traffickingprogressive
-
are traffickingprogressive
-
is traffickingprogressive
-
have been traffickingperfect progressive
-
has been traffickingperfect progressive
Past
-
traffickedsimple
-
had traffickedperfect
-
was traffickingprogressive
-
were traffickingprogressive
-
had been traffickingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of traffic
First recorded in 1495–1505; earlier traffyk, from Middle French trafique (noun), trafiquer; (verb) from Italian traffico (noun), trafficare (verb), of disputed origin
Explanation
If you drive during rush hour, you're likely to hit some heavy traffic, and if you get stuck in a big traffic jam, you'll definitely be late. It's not just cars that create traffic — a large number of anything trying to occupy the same space adds up to traffic. Internet providers may see a lot of traffic when there's big news and everyone is trying to sign on to find out what happened. Pedestrians also create traffic, like those walking past your new burrito palace and pet costume shop. While your business may be perfectly respectable, you would want to watch out for people who traffic stolen goods and illegal drugs. In that sense, traffic acts as a verb indicating you're trading something, often illegally.
Vocabulary lists containing traffic
"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"The Odyssey," Vocabulary from Part 1 of the epic poem
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Studies show that air purifiers are effective at reducing particulates, but it’s unclear whether these reductions can prevent cognitive harm from ongoing pollution sources like traffic.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026
“Balloons are an important traffic driver for that business, and when customers come in for balloons, they often purchase other items for celebrations and events,” CEO Mike Creedon said on the retailer’s earnings call.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 30, 2026
I had thought of using the Multistrada to lane-split through the inevitable traffic jams during Monterey Car Week, held earlier this month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
Sivaranjani Muthunathan was travelling by bus with 56 others towards the Chinese border when they became stuck in what they thought was a traffic jam.
From Barron's ● Aug. 29, 2026
Gusts of wind crashed into the bus like ocean waves as they inched along in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith
“You’re not going to earn our votes if you bring somebody who we feel traffics in language that is harmful to us,” he said.
From Slate ● Apr. 29, 2026
Consign Design traffics in luxury labels like Brunello, Prada, Gucci and Hermès, along with top-drawer skiwear, while Capelet Consign brims with AG, Theory, Veronica Beard and Ulla Johnson.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 3, 2025
It’s especially fitting for “Turtles,” a movie based on a book propped up by an ever-expanding young-adult canon that traffics in the romance of pain and the pain of romance.
From New York Times ● May 2, 2024
The play traffics in TV tropes and formulas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2023
His position among writers on æsthetics is anomalous and incredible: no merchant traffics in his heart, yet he commands a large, an eager, an affectionate public.
From Unicorns by James Huneker
“We are proud to answer the call to help trafficked wildlife and are committed to providing immediate care and a sanctuary for all of those that we can help.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
They are heavily targeted by poachers and are considered the most highly trafficked mammals in the world, leaving many species at serious risk of extinction.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
Ruemmler maintained she found Giuffre’s claims of being trafficked by world leaders and American politicians to be inconsistent with what she understood about the evidence that was uncovered in Florida.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
But now, years later, they face the possibility of losing Marcus because he is believed to have been trafficked into Singapore.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Ants trafficked in and out of the eggplants.
From "Tasting the Sky" by Ibtisam Barakat
Fish and Wildlife Service if you suspect someone is trafficking wildlife by contacting 1-844-FWS-TIPS.
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
Five suspected recruitment agents are on trial in the country on human trafficking charges.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 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
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.
