traffic

1 of 2

noun

traf·​fic ˈtra-fik How to pronounce traffic (audio)
often attributive
1
a(1)
: the vehicles, pedestrians, ships, or planes moving along a route
(2)
: congestion of vehicles
stuck in traffic
(3)
: the movement (as of vehicles or pedestrians) through an area or along a route
b
: the information or signals transmitted over a communications system : messages
2
: the volume of customers visiting a business establishment
restaurant traffic
3
a
: the passengers or cargo carried by a transportation system
b
: the business of transporting passengers or freight
4
a
: import and export trade
b
: the business of bartering or buying and selling
c
: illegal or disreputable usually commercial activity
the drug traffic
5
a
: communication or dealings especially between individuals or groups
b
: exchange
a lively traffic in ideasF. L. Allen
6
: a concentration of participants or players and especially defensive players
force difficult shots in traffic
7
archaic : wares, goods

traffic

2 of 2

verb

trafficked; trafficking

intransitive verb

1
: to carry on traffic
2
: to concentrate one's effort or interest
broadly : engage, deal
a writer who often traffics in hyperbole

transitive verb

1
a
: to travel over
heavily trafficked highways
b
: to visit as a customer
a highly trafficked bookstore
2
trafficker noun
Phrases
the traffic will bear
: existing conditions will allow or permit
charge what the traffic will bear
Choose the Right Synonym for traffic

business, commerce, trade, industry, traffic mean activity concerned with the supplying and distribution of commodities.

business may be an inclusive term but specifically designates the activities of those engaged in the purchase or sale of commodities or in related financial transactions.

commerce and trade imply the exchange and transportation of commodities.

industry applies to the producing of commodities, especially by manufacturing or processing, usually on a large scale.

traffic applies to the operation and functioning of public carriers of goods and persons.

Examples of traffic in a Sentence

Noun Let's leave early to avoid rush hour traffic. Traffic is backed up to the bridge. Barge traffic was halted because of flooding. Airlines saw a decrease in passenger traffic this year. Verb arrested him for trafficking in drugs
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Justice Department officials are seeking to extradite Pérez Salas, who is charged in two U.S. jurisdictions with conspiring to traffic methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine; laundering money; retaliating against witnesses; and possessing machine guns. Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2023 Long lines of traffic also greeted motorists in Harford County, Maryland, on Thursday afternoon, after a crash involving 10 vehicles that injured two people. Patrick Smith, NBC News, 24 Nov. 2023 The cameras have been the city’s main method of traffic enforcement for years and can issue fines up to $500. Luz Lazo, Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2023 Out of abundance of caution, CBP temporarily suspended inbound/outbound traffic at 3 other Buffalo crossings that have since reopened. Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 22 Nov. 2023 Tellez said the department is still mapping out exactly where the cameras will be installed, though they typically are affixed to light and traffic poles in major thoroughfares and intersections. Tammy Murga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Nov. 2023 The Peace, Queenston-Lewiston and Whirlpool-Rapids Bridges in Canada reopened to traffic in both directions later in the evening. Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 22 Nov. 2023 Currently, the opportunity is so large that uploaders flood streaming services with undifferentiated noise recordings, hoping to attract enough search traffic to generate royalties. Jem Aswad, Variety, 21 Nov. 2023 Setting up any street circuit for the first time involves traffic disruptions, but in Las Vegas that track prep took months and months as roads were prepared, and by race week noses were very out of joint. Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 20 Nov. 2023
Verb
In addition to trafficking wildlife, an investigation also turned up evidence of money laundering committed from February to April 2022. Antonio Planas, NBC News, 6 Nov. 2023 Southern Arizona has become a massive corridor for trafficking the synthetic opioid with nearly half of all border seizures occurring at federal checkpoints in the state. Quinn Owen, ABC News, 7 Nov. 2023 In 2021, van der Sloot was convicted of trafficking cocaine into his prison and was sentenced to an additional 18 years in Peru, according to a sentencing memorandum. Holly Yan, CNN, 18 Oct. 2023 Both were arrested on Sept. 9 and charged with trafficking marijuana, Fulton County Jail records show. Henri Hollis, ajc, 15 Sep. 2023 The report said Black girls are more likely to be trafficked at a younger age than their racial counterparts, and, referencing data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, found that Black children make up more than 57% of all juvenile prostitution arrests. Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 11 Oct. 2023 All of this, moreover, has provided a desperate client base for a burgeoning, cynical, and highly profitable international industry: people trafficking. Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Sep. 2023 Additional authorization would need to be secured for endangered species, as part of an international partnership to protect wildlife from trafficking. Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 11 Oct. 2023 Mexico and China are the primary sources for fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances trafficked directly into the U.S., according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, which is tasked with combating illicit drug trafficking. Fatima Hussein, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'traffic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle French trafique, from Old Italian traffico, from trafficare to trade in coastal waters

First Known Use

Noun

1511, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1537, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of traffic was in 1511

Dictionary Entries Near traffic

Cite this Entry

“Traffic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/traffic. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

traffic

1 of 2 noun
traf·​fic ˈtraf-ik How to pronounce traffic (audio)
1
: the business of buying and selling : commerce
2
: communication or dealings between persons or groups
had no traffic with the enemy
3
a
: the movement (as of pedestrians or vehicles) through an area or along a route
heavy traffic in the kitchen before dinner
rush-hour traffic
b
: the vehicles, pedestrians, ships, or planes moving along a route
c
: a crowded mass of vehicles
stuck in traffic
4
a
: the passengers or goods carried by train, boat, or airplane
b
: the business of carrying passengers or goods

traffic

2 of 2 verb
trafficked; trafficking
: to carry on traffic : trade, deal
trafficker noun

Legal Definition

traffic

1 of 2 noun
traf·​fic
often attributive
1
a
: import and export trade
b
: the business of bartering or buying and selling
c
: illegal or disreputable usually commercial activity
the drug traffic
2
a
: the movement (as of vehicles or pedestrians) through an area or along a route
b
: the vehicles, pedestrians, ships, or planes moving along a route
c
: the information or signals transmitted over a communications system
3
a
: the passengers or cargo carried by a transportation system
b
: the business of transporting passengers or freight

traffic

2 of 2 verb
trafficked; trafficking

intransitive verb

: to carry on traffic

transitive verb

1
: to travel over
2
: to engage in the trading or bartering of
trafficker noun

More from Merriam-Webster on traffic

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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