profiling

noun

pro·​fil·​ing ˈprō-ˌfī-liŋ 

: the act or process of extrapolating information about a person based on known traits or tendencies

consumer profiling

specifically : the act of suspecting or targeting a person on the basis of observed characteristics or behavior

racial profiling

Examples of profiling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In Mindhunter, the agent interviews Brudos — played by Anderson in season 1 of the series and in season 3 of Monster — to help develop profiling techniques for catching serial killers. —Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025

An audit found Maricopa County and its Sheriff's Office overstated compliance costs for a racial profiling lawsuit by $163 million. —Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 9 Oct. 2025

Continue reading … WILD IDEA – Whoopi Goldberg suggests Americans test racial profiling claims at the Super Bowl. —FOXNews.com, 7 Oct. 2025

Early analysis of the 12-foot-long device showed sensors measuring temperature, depth, and seawater salinity—hallmarks of an oceanographic profiling mission, Tarriela said. —Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1980, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for profiling

• beguiling
• compiling
• refiling
• reviling
• stockpiling
• unsmiling
• filing
• piling
• smiling
• styling
• tiling
• reconciling

Legal Definition

profiling

noun

pro·​fil·​ing

: the practice of singling out persons for law enforcement procedures on the basis of predetermined characteristics

specifically : the discriminatory practice of profiling based on race or ethnicity

racial profiling