Synonyms of traffic

traffic 1 of 2

noun

ˈtra-fik 

as in commerce

the buying and selling of goods especially on a large scale and between different places

they contributed money to an environmental group that works to end the traffic of endangered animals

Synonyms & Similar Words

• commerce
• marketplace
• trade
• business
• dealings
• free trade
• black market
• gray market
• merchandising
• retailing
• horse-trading
• wholesaling
• bartering
• e-tail

traffic

2 of 2

verb

as in to trade

to carry on the business of buying and selling goods or other property

arrested him for trafficking in drugs

Synonyms & Similar Words

• trade
• deal
• negotiate
• sell
• smuggle
• merchandise
• exchange
• market
• retail
• transact
• purchase
• bargain
• supply
• wholesale
• swap
• buy
• auction
• barter
• fence
• horse-trade
• resell
• peddle
• distribute
• invest
• vend
• corner
• take
• monopolize
• pick up
• bootleg
• black-market
• speculate
• engross
• undersell
• rebuy
• day-trade
• fair-trade

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• boycott
• black
• blackball

Synonym Chooser

How is the word traffic distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of traffic are business, commerce, industry, and trade. While all these words mean "activity concerned with the supplying and distribution of commodities," traffic applies to the operation and functioning of public carriers of goods and persons.

Where would business be a reasonable alternative to traffic?

While the synonyms business and traffic are close in meaning, 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.

How are the words commerce and trade related as synonyms of traffic?

Both commerce and trade imply the exchange and transportation of commodities.

When would industry be a good substitute for traffic?

The words industry and traffic are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, industry applies to the producing of commodities, especially by manufacturing or processing, usually on a large scale.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of traffic

Noun

Asia and the Americas drove the growth, while EMEA was weaker, still affected by subdued traffic. —Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 19 Feb. 2026

However, when it is used outside malls, grocery stores, hospitals, and other high-traffic locations, it's often applied more frequently. —Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 19 Feb. 2026

Verb

The sheriff's office said she was taken into custody on several warrants for trafficking cocaine, trafficking fentanyl, trafficking hydrocodone, and cocaine sales as well as several charges of drug possession and drug paraphernalia possession, among other charges. —Steven Yablonski, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026

Basmadjian was set to go to trial in less than a month on charges including possession with intent to distribute meth and heroin, carrying a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime and being a felon in possession of a firearm. —Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026