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

Colorado now requires opt-in consent before processing minors’ data for advertising, sale or profiling, alongside formal risk assessment requirements. —Chai Outmezguine, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026

The initiative was dismantled in 2022 after accusations of racial profiling, but the lingering effects can still be felt throughout politics and culture. —Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 14 May 2026

But critics of the program say concerns about racial profiling and civil rights abuses persist, now in a vastly different regulatory and political environment. —Shoshana Walter, Miami Herald, 11 May 2026

At the time of the murders, DNA profiling had yet to become a useful forensic tool. —Nina Giraldo, CNN Money, 10 May 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