traffic
Americannoun
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traffic
plural
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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.
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the vehicles, persons, etc., moving in an area, along a street, etc.
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the transportation of goods for the purpose of trade, by sea, land, or air.
ships of traffic.
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trade; buying and selling; commercial dealings.
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trade between different countries or places; commerce.
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the business done by a railroad or other carrier in the transportation of freight or passengers.
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the aggregate of freight, passengers, telephone or telegraph messages, etc., handled, especially in a given period.
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communication, dealings, or contact between persons or groups.
traffic between the Democrats and the Republicans.
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mutual exchange or communication.
traffic in ideas.
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trade in some specific commodity or service, often of an illegal nature.
the vast traffic in narcotics.
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illegal commercial trade in human beings for the purpose of exploiting them.
the traffic in young children.
verb (used without object)
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traffics,
present (3rd person singular)
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trafficked,
past participle, past
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trafficking
present participle
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to carry on traffic, trade, or commercial dealings.
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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)
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traffics,
present (3rd person singular)
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trafficked,
past participle, past
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trafficking
present participle
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(of vehicles or persons) to move over or through (a place).
It's a heavily trafficked bridge.
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to trade or deal in (a commodity or service).
to traffic guns.
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to trade in (human beings) for the purpose of exploitation.
He was convicted for trafficking illegal immigrants.
noun
-
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the vehicles coming and going in a street, town, etc
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( as modifier )
traffic lights
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the movement of vehicles, people, etc, in a particular place or for a particular purpose
sea traffic
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the business of commercial transportation by land, sea, or air
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the freight, passengers, etc, transported
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(usually foll by with) dealings or business
have no traffic with that man
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trade, esp of an illicit or improper kind
drug traffic
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the aggregate volume of messages transmitted through a communications system in a given period
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the number of customers patronizing a commercial establishment in a given time period
verb
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(often foll by in) to carry on trade or business, esp of an illicit kind
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(usually foll by with) to have dealings
Synonym Usage
See trade.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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trafficsimple
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trafficssimple
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have traffickedperfect
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has traffickedperfect
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am traffickingprogressive
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are traffickingprogressive
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is traffickingprogressive
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have been traffickingperfect progressive
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has been traffickingperfect progressive
Past
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traffickedsimple
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had traffickedperfect
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was traffickingprogressive
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were traffickingprogressive
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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
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Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
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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:
A pilot asked for medical help, describing "a bloody nose" and "some bite marks", according to audio recorded on air traffic control obtained by CBS News, the BBC's US partner.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
While those companies have become adept at gaming search-engine traffic and social-media conversations to bring in customers, how to adapt to a flood of agent-driven traffic is less obvious.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
The bridge will be closed to all traffic for 16 months.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
"Plaid Cymru is clear that doing nothing isn't an option... the action we're considering could reduce traffic by 10% in just four years," he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Galina Burdina flew as a civilian pilot for Aeroflot for fifteen years before joining air traffic control; her friend Tamara Pamyatnykh became an air traffic controller at a civilian airport.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
First I thought of Spanish rock star and longtime Los Angeles resident Enrique Bunbury, who himself traffics in the diffuse territories of the ominous and esoteric.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
“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
There is no evidence Venezuela produces or traffics fentanyl, experts say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
Although Netflix's action thriller “Black Doves” is set in London, it traffics in its version of this debate when two assassins and a civilian discuss their favorite Christmas movies to pass the time.
From Salon ● Dec. 7, 2024
His are the markets, his the courts; his too The highways; nay, the very carrier's horse, That traffics on the Gotthardt, pays him toll.
From Wilhelm Tell by Friedrich Schiller
Spain’s beachside paradise of Costa del Sol has become one of the most trafficked ports of entry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Despite this, orangutans continue to be trafficked for sale as exotic pets and to private collectors.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
The aquarium has helped more than 3,300 trafficked animals, including corals, reptiles, fish and axolotls.
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
The road was little trafficked, and I was too happy about my escape to feel much fear.
From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine
Between May and July of last year, Polymarket users bet nearly $798,000 on the verdict of the Diddy sex trafficking trial.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
"Under the guise of the conscription law, these coercive arrests and recruitment drives have effectively transformed into a modern-day slavery and human trafficking enterprise."
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
Indyke and Kahn have denied knowing Epstein was engaged in sex trafficking or knowingly facilitating any crimes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
The visit comes after Peru joined the "Shield of the Americas," a US-led coalition promoted by President Donald Trump to combat drug trafficking and organized crime across the region.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
But her fight against child marriage and her advocacy to end human trafficking are changing the world.
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
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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.
