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

Our findings raise the prospect of a new form of algorithmic profiling, in which AI systems do not simply infer sensitive characteristics from appearance but also construct and propagate visual stereotypes associated with them. — Ashique Khudabukhsh, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026

Supporters say racial profiling is already prohibited and that legal status is determined using standard identification and verification procedures, not subjective characteristics such as the color of someone's skin. — Shaun Boyd, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026

This summer André, alongside fellow comedian Clayton English, settled a racial profiling suit against Clayton County police in Georgia. — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026

After a 2018 raid at a Tennessee meatpacking plant, detained workers alleging racial profiling, excessive force and unlawful arrest – some under the FTCA – settled with the government for more than $1 million, the workers’ attorneys said. — Hanna Park, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 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