TRAFFICKING Synonyms: 41 Similar and Opposite Words

trafficking

verb

present participle of traffic

as in dealing

to carry on the business of buying and selling goods or other property arrested him for trafficking in drugs

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of trafficking This institutional erosion has also created fertile ground for transnational criminal organizations engaged in trafficking weapons, narcotics and people throughout the Caribbean. — José Singer, Miami Herald, 27 July 2026 The investigation led to authorities identifying an individual who was trafficking fentanyl and cocaine in the Naugatuck Valley as Muniz, officials said. — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 25 July 2026 Months after arresting former Defense Minister Salvador Cienfuegos in 2020 on drug-trafficking charges during a visit to Los Angeles, the United States bowed to political pressure and returned him to Mexico. — Kevin Sieff, The Atlantic, 24 July 2026 The Ashaninka have become an enduring block to trafficking networks in Peru and Brazil. — ABC News, 23 July 2026 Blake writes, When Tate was arrested on human-trafficking charges, his allies defended him. — Literary Hub, 23 July 2026 But more often, those fighting trafficking live in their own silos, doing their own work, and often failing or refusing to share even scant details with other jurisdictions. — Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026 The co-founder of the Sinaloa cartel avoided a possible death penalty after pleading guilty last year to leading a continuing criminal enterprise and admitting to trafficking millions of kilograms of cocaine over decades. — Sol Amaya, CNN Money, 20 July 2026 The victim services section was started in 2021, and that year was in contact with 60 potential trafficking victims. — Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for trafficking

Verb

Jeff Passan had the initial report of the Sox dealing for Bart.

— LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2026
By this time, police believe, Brun had already begun dealing again.

— Guthrie Scrimgeour, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of dealing

Verb

The headline move was trading ace Jon Lester, Jonny Gomes and cash to the Athletics for outfielder Yoenis Cespedes and a competitive balance round B draft pick.

— Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 2 Aug. 2026
One day after trading ace Tarik Skubal to the Los Angeles Dodgers for three prospects, the Tigers responded with their third straight win to remain within 2 1/2 games of the last wild-card spot in the AL.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of trading

Verb

On July 20, the Department of Justice announced that three Mexican men pleaded guilty to smuggling hundreds of people south from Canada into New York, then transferring them to the Midwest.

— Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 29 July 2026
Probation officers and staff members have been charged with smuggling drugs into the facility in the last year.

— James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026

Definition of smuggling

Verb

Kuester was arrested and charged with selling drugs on June 19, the day after SBI agents talked to Elliott.

— Julia Coin Updated July 31, Charlotte Observer, 31 July 2026
The value compounds because the tour is selling tickets, the album is driving streams, and the tequila and the sneaker campaign are both reinforcing the same orange-hued, community-first aesthetic in the culture at the same time.

— Olivia Shalhoup, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026