traffic

1 of 2

noun

traf·​fic ˈtra-fik 

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 ideas

—F. 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

: trade, barter

trafficker noun

Phrases

the traffic will bear

: existing conditions will allow or permit

charge what the traffic will bear

Synonyms

Noun

• business
• commerce
• marketplace
• trade

Verb

• deal
• trade

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

The other airport improvement projects include a new Terminal A exit road; additional gates for Concourse B; expansion of Terminal A; a ground transportation hub for a more efficient shuttle system and a better flow of traffic; and a consolidated rental car center. —Rosalio Ahumada, Sacramento Bee, 10 Apr. 2024

The Texas Department of Transportation issued an eclipse travel guide in late March, and signs on major highways warned of heavy traffic before, during and after the eclipse. —Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2024

The long delays are believed to be due in part to ongoing construction projects in Tijuana that have created traffic bottlenecks entering the city. —Alexandra Mendoza, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Apr. 2024

Others expressed concerns over traffic, noise, pollution and public safety. —Bill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2024

An analysis of traffic patterns from that year suggests the worst of the traffic – on interstates and rural back roads alike – will kick off after the eclipse ends and everyone tries to leave all at once. —Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024

In Indianapolis, traffic was light downtown, with more traffic near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. —Jenny Porter Tilley, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Apr. 2024

After that happens, there’s going to be a lot of traffic as everyone heads back home. —Owen Bellwood / Jalopnik, Quartz, 8 Apr. 2024

At the top of the list is the ongoing project to create a downtown central mobility hub, with a direct connection to the San Diego International Airport to help reduce the traffic that an expansion is expected to worsen. —Emily Alvarenga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024

Verb

The former attorney general of the US Virgin Islands alleged that girls as young as 12 were trafficked to Epstein by those within his elite social circle. —Dhruv Mehrotra, WIRED, 28 Mar. 2024

Prosecutors say at least two of the firearms recovered from the area around Union State were illegally purchased or trafficked. —Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2024

Some of the leading basketball programs were directly implicated, with coaches slipped hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash under the table to agree to conspire to convince their top players to sign on as Blazer’s clients — in effect, trafficking the kids. —Guy Lawson, Rolling Stone, 24 Mar. 2024

Yet they were taken aback and changed course Tuesday after network personalities like Chuck Todd and Rachel Maddow objected to working with someone who had trafficked in election disinformation. —David Bauder, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024

Hundreds of thousands of people are trafficked into online criminality across the region, according to a United Nations report last year. —Kathleen Magramo, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024

McAnuff’s production does not traffic in such subtleties. —Jesse Green, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024

Manning allegedly illegally trafficked dozens of firearms, including many Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 firearms. —Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2024

Federal law prohibits removing, defacing or trafficking in archeological resources on public or Native lands. —Eve Chen, USA TODAY, 23 Mar. 2024

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

Phrases Containing traffic

• traffic jam
• traffic warden
• air traffic control
• pedestrian/foot traffic
• foot traffic
• traffic stop
• traffic island
• traffic court
• traffic circle
• air traffic controller
• traffic cone
• traffic light
• traffic cop
• traffic engineering
• traffic ticket
• traffic hazard
• traffic signal
• traffic stopper
• the traffic will bear

Kids Definition

traffic

1 of 2 noun

traf·​fic ˈtraf-ik 

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