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View synonyms for traffic

traffic

[traf-ik]

noun

  1. the movement of vehicles, ships, persons, etc., in an area, along a street, through an air lane, over a water route, etc..

    the heavy traffic on Main Street.

  2. the vehicles, persons, etc., moving in an area, along a street, etc.

  3. the transportation of goods for the purpose of trade, by sea, land, or air.

    ships of traffic.

  4. trade; buying and selling; commercial dealings.

  5. trade between different countries or places; commerce.

  6. the business done by a railroad or other carrier in the transportation of freight or passengers.

  7. the aggregate of freight, passengers, telephone or telegraph messages, etc., handled, especially in a given period.

  8. communication, dealings, or contact between persons or groups.

    traffic between the Democrats and the Republicans.

  9. mutual exchange or communication.

    traffic in ideas.

  10. trade in some specific commodity or service, often of an illegal nature.

    the vast traffic in narcotics.

  11. illegal commercial trade in human beings for the purpose of exploiting them.

    the traffic in young children.



verb (used without object)

trafficked, trafficking 
  1. to carry on traffic, trade, or commercial dealings.

  2. to trade or deal in a specific commodity or service, often of an illegal nature (usually followed byin ).

    to traffic in opium.

verb (used with object)

trafficked, trafficking 
  1. (of vehicles or persons) to move over or through (a place).

    It's a heavily trafficked bridge.

  2. to trade or deal in (a commodity or service).

    to traffic guns.

  3. to trade in (human beings) for the purpose of exploitation.

    He was convicted for trafficking illegal immigrants.

traffic

/ ˈtræfɪk /

noun

    1. the vehicles coming and going in a street, town, etc

    2. ( as modifier )

      traffic lights

  1. the movement of vehicles, people, etc, in a particular place or for a particular purpose

    sea traffic

    1. the business of commercial transportation by land, sea, or air

    2. the freight, passengers, etc, transported

  2. (usually foll by with) dealings or business

    have no traffic with that man

  3. trade, esp of an illicit or improper kind

    drug traffic

  4. the aggregate volume of messages transmitted through a communications system in a given period

  5. the number of customers patronizing a commercial establishment in a given time period

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (often foll by in) to carry on trade or business, esp of an illicit kind

  2. (usually foll by with) to have dealings

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • trafficker noun
  • trafficless adjective
  • intertraffic noun
  • untrafficked adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of traffic1

First recorded in 1495–1505; earlier traffyk, from Middle French trafique (noun), trafiquer; (verb) from Italian traffico (noun), trafficare (verb), of disputed origin
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Word History and Origins

Origin of traffic1

C16: from Old French trafique , from Old Italian traffico , from trafficare to engage in trade
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Synonym Study

See trade.
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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Air Force Research Lab tracks spacecraft beyond geosynchronous orbit — basically a traffic camera for the Solar System.

Read more on MarketWatch

Corrupt Venezuelan military officers receive payments to permit the drugs to be trafficked through their country and then flown on small planes or taken aboard drug boats to Central America or the Caribbean.

By engaging receptor trafficking at the cell membrane, they provide a new way to modulate receptor activity.

Read more on Science Daily

The administration eventually charged Maduro with leading the Cartel de los Soles – Cartel of the Suns – an informal criminal network tied to high-level Venezuelan military officials believed to have conducted drug trafficking into the U.S.

Read more on Salon

Driving his GMC Yukon with a bicycle in the back to the beach recently, he found himself stopped in traffic by a “No Kings” march.

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Trafalgar, Battle oftrafficability