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.
He has engaged in countless bilateral forums, work groups and discussions about immigration, drug trafficking, cross-border commerce and other concerns, and generally received good marks from U.S. officials.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026
Officials branded these visits as “wellness checks,” ostensibly aimed at ensuring that the children in question did not fall victim to human trafficking and were keeping up with their obligations for their immigration cases.
From Salon • Apr. 10, 2026
Bolivia and the United States have resumed joint anti-drug trafficking investigations, the South American country's drugs czar Ernesto Justiniano told AFP on Wednesday.
From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026
She asked him to think about a victim of human trafficking who is brought to the U.S. illegally then gives birth here.
From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026
The government forbade any trafficking in Indian antiquities and had given the priest a general concession, authorizing him to catalogue whatever he found and hand it over to the museum.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
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.
