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

Rights groups say the ​crackdown has violated free speech and due process rights and created an unsafe environment, particularly for ethnic minorities, ​who have raised concerns about racial profiling. — Reuters, NBC news, 13 Aug. 2026

Morris brought his profiling skills to a pre-Housewives Bravo with First Person, released at the turn of the millennium and difficult to find in the streaming era before the filmmaker uploaded it to his YouTube page during the pandemic. — Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026

Surges of federal agents into cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis fueled mass protests, lawsuits and widespread claims of harassment and racial profiling. — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 9 Aug. 2026

The American Civil Liberties Union and Public Counsel, along with other groups and private attorneys, included the body cam footage in a court filing asking a federal judge to bar immigration agents from making stops based on racial profiling. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 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