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

That may be fine for downtown, but none of us in North County signed on for the kind of problems that high density brings — urban decay, crime, traffic and unaffordable housing. —Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026

The new ordinance will add red-light cameras to the northbound lanes of LeJeune Road and Northwest 36th Street, after a traffic study found one red-light violation roughly every 58 seconds. —Theo Karantsalis, Miami Herald, 7 May 2026

Verb

Prosecutors in Manhattan indicted the current governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha Moya, 76, and nine other high-ranking government and law enforcement figures on multiple drug-trafficking and related weapons counts. —Tom Winter, NBC news, 30 Apr. 2026

According to officials, Heath took a plea deal in November, pleading guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, fentanyl, and one count of firearms trafficking. —Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 30 Apr. 2026