profiling

American  

[proh-fahy-ling] / ˈproʊ faɪ lɪŋ /

noun

1. the use of personal characteristics or behavior patterns to make generalizations about a person, as in

2. the use of these characteristics to determine whether a person may be engaged in illegal activity, as in

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profiling British  

/ ˈprəʊˌfaɪlɪŋ /

noun

1. the practice of categorizing people and predicting their behaviour according to particular characteristics such as race or age

   racial profiling

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Example Sentences

Pervasive surveillance, electronic tracking and biometric profiling—together known as “digital dust”—have gutted traditional undercover operations.

From The Wall Street Journal

"As advances in molecular profiling allow us to detect pre-leukemic states years before clinical onset, understanding how stromal and immune cells interact provides a foundation for preventive therapies that intercept disease progression before leukemia develops."

From Science Daily

“We are disturbed when we see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement,” the statement read.

From Los Angeles Times

“We are disturbed when we see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement,” the statement read in part.

From Los Angeles Times

The findings were published in Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science under the title "Metabolomic profiling of aqueous humor from glaucoma patients identifies metabolites with anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective potential in mice."

From Science Daily