- present participle of traffic.
trafficking
Americannoun
-
the practice of dealing or trading in a commodity or service, often an illegal one.
drug trafficking.
Etymology
Origin of trafficking
First recorded in 1530–40; traffic ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. )
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.
The Undersecretary for the Philippines Department of Justice, Nicholas Ty, told the BBC that "the matter is currently being investigated" by an anti-human trafficking and child sexual exploitation task force in Cebu.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
Homeland Security Investigations agents typically focused on transnational criminal investigations such as drug smuggling and human trafficking.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
Mahmoud Ali Youssouf also stressed the urgent need to "address the root causes of irregular migration, combat migrant smuggling and trafficking in persons, and promote safe, orderly and regular migration".
From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026
The police will now try to establish whether the people arrested include victims of human trafficking.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 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
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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.
