profiling

1 of 2

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

profiling

2 of 2

present participle of profile entry 2

Examples of profiling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Rights groups ⁠say ​the crackdown has violated free speech and due ​process rights and has created an unsafe environment, particularly for ethnic minorities, who have raised ​concerns about racial profiling. — Kanishka Singh, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2026

Eric André and Clayton English’s legal battle against Clayton County police has ended in a settlement, four years after the comedians accused police of racial profiling at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport. — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026

Rights groups say the ​crackdown has violated free speech and due process rights and created an unsafe environment, particularly for ethnic minorities, ​who have raised concerns about racial profiling. — Reuters, NBC news, 13 Aug. 2026

Morris brought his profiling skills to a pre-Housewives Bravo with First Person, released at the turn of the millennium and difficult to find in the streaming era before the filmmaker uploaded it to his YouTube page during the pandemic. — Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

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