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

The letter's demands included withdrawing federal agents from the Twin Cities and other cities experiencing violent enforcement actions, launching independent investigations into civilian deaths, banning racial profiling, and prohibiting the use of masks that obscure agents’ identities. —Serena Maria Daniels, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 Feb. 2026

The resulting racial profiling and excessive violence by federal agents became an urgent call to action for a community that, not long ago, drew a line in the sand over race and policing — sparking 2020’s worldwide reckoning. —Eric Roper, Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2026

There's been widespread reports alleging people being stopped because of racial profiling. —Dana Taylor, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026

There was the story of these off-duty Minnesota police who alleged racial profiling by ICE officers, and there’ve been other stories like that. —Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 25 Jan. 2026

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