traffic

[ traf-ik ]

/ ˈtræf ɪk /

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See synonyms for: traffic / trafficked / trafficking / trafficker on Thesaurus.com

noun

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), traf·ficked, traf·fick·ing.

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 by in): to traffic in opium.

verb (used with object), traf·ficked, traf·fick·ing.

(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.

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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

synonym study for traffic

4. See trade.

OTHER WORDS FROM traffic

traf·fick·er, nountraf·fic·less, adjectivein·ter·traf·fic, noun, verb, in·ter·traf·ficked, in·ter·traf·fick·ing.un·traf·ficked, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use traffic in a sentence

Waiting too long to open a road can result in traffic delays, congestion, and increased safety risks for construction workers and commuters.
Smart Concrete Could Pave the Way for High-Tech, Cost-Effective Roads|Luna Lu|November 13, 2020|Singularity Hub
Other key additions include electric vehicle routing to plan trips around charging stages, cycling directions and mapped congestion zones for traffic in major cities.
macOS Big Sur is now available|Brian Heater|November 12, 2020|TechCrunch
A particular report shows a traffic manager the project load of the project managers.
How a well-oiled marketing operations machine drives business forward|Sponsored Content: Workfront|November 12, 2020|Search Engine Land
There may not be much foot traffic in department stores, but online shopping is predicted to see a huge spike in sales this season.
12 Trendy Gifts Your Friends Will Love This Season|Nandi Howard|November 11, 2020|Essence.com

After a traffic altercation, a male driver assaulted another driver.
Loudoun County crime report||November 11, 2020|Washington Post
My trafficker arranged my passport, visa and airline ticket before I left, then took my documents when I arrived.
How To Help America’s Trafficking Victims In The Long Term|Ima Matul|June 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Once it was discovered that Ski Money was an accused human trafficker, Cardin quickly backtracked.
Politician Scores Rapper Endorsement, Prostitution Problems Follow|Ben Jacobs|June 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Khair Ulla Said Wali Khairkhwa was a notorious heroin trafficker.
CIA Chief, White House Chief of Staff Long Argued the Taliban 5 Could Go Free|Josh Rogin, Eli Lake|June 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Karim El-Hamdi remembers vividly how he accidentally became a human trafficker.
Confessions of a Human Trafficker Who Smuggled Desperate Migrants Into Europe|Barbie Latza Nadeau|June 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Did Christie Go Easy on a Sex Trafficker Just to Bust a Small-Time Pol?
The Best of the Beast, March 16-22||March 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I would have preferred by far the keeper's lash to the jovial loquacity of this trafficker in human flesh.
The Brass Bell|Eugne Sue
I reproached myself for having uttered before that trafficker in human flesh words which resembled a regret or a complaint.
The Brass Bell|Eugne Sue
The trafficker makes every effort to intercept such a girl before she can communicate with her relations.
A New Conscience And An Ancient Evil|Jane Addams
The front ranks of the crowd broke in response to the summons of the trafficker in indulgences and hastened to empty their purses.
The Pocket Bible or Christian the Printer|Eugne Sue
Ineligibility of slaveholders—never another vote to the trafficker in human flesh!
The Impending Crisis of the South|Hinton Rowan Helper

British Dictionary definitions for traffic

traffic

/ (ˈtræfɪk) /

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 purposesea traffic

the business of commercial transportation by land, sea, or air
the freight, passengers, etc, transported

(usually foll by with) dealings or businesshave no traffic with that man

trade, esp of an illicit or improper kinddrug traffic

the aggregate volume of messages transmitted through a communications system in a given period

mainly US the number of customers patronizing a commercial establishment in a given time period

verb -fics, -ficking or -ficked (intr)

(often foll by in) to carry on trade or business, esp of an illicit kind

(usually foll by with) to have dealings

Derived forms of traffic

trafficker, nountrafficless, adjective

Word Origin for traffic

C16: from Old French trafique, from Old Italian traffico, from trafficare to engage in trade

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

traffic

Origin of traffic

synonym study for traffic

OTHER WORDS FROM traffic

Words related to traffic

How to use traffic in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for traffic

Derived forms of traffic

Word Origin for traffic