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.
Congress created the program in 2000 under the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026
The first crack in my thinking came when I read Kathryn Joyce’s book The Child Catchers: Rescue, Trafficking, and the New Gospel of Adoption.
From Slate • Aug. 18, 2025
Trafficking in generalities rarely leads to universal truth.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 4, 2024
His attorneys also pointed out a few others including the New York Services for Victims of Human Trafficking Law, which came into effect in 2007.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 26, 2024
But of thy virtues didst thou make a vice, Trafficking with them in a purpose cold, For present anger and for future gold, And buying others’ grief at any price.
From Lady Byron Vindicated A history of the Byron controversy from its beginning in 1816 to the present time by Stowe, Harriet Beecher
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.
