trafficking: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
commonformal
Quick answer
What does “trafficking” mean?
The illegal trade or transportation of goods, especially drugs, or people, often for exploitation.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The illegal trade or transportation of goods, especially drugs, or people, often for exploitation.
Can refer to any illicit or unethical trade, including specific legal definitions under international law, such as in human rights or environmental contexts.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage is largely identical, but British English may appear more frequently in legal documents, while American English in media reports; spelling is the same.
Connotations
Both variants have strong negative connotations related to criminal exploitation and illegal activities.
Frequency
Equally common in both due to global issues like drug and human trafficking.
Grammar
How to Use “trafficking” in a Sentence
traffic in [illegal goods]be trafficked [across borders]engage in traffickingVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “trafficking” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- He was convicted for trafficking controlled substances into the country.
American English
- They trafficked individuals for forced labor in several states.
adverb
British English
- Not commonly used as an adverb.
American English
- Rarely adverbial; typically functions as noun or verb.
adjective
British English
- The anti-trafficking unit made several arrests last month.
American English
- Trafficking laws are enforced at the federal level.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used in compliance or risk management contexts to refer to illicit activities affecting operations.
Academic
Frequent in law, criminology, and sociology research on illegal trade and human rights violations.
Everyday
Common in news reports and discussions about crime; less typical in casual conversation.
Technical
Specific to legal and law enforcement jargon, e.g., under the UN Trafficking Protocol definitions.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “trafficking”
- Using 'trafficking' for legal transportation; confusing with 'smuggling' which may not imply exploitation.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, in contemporary usage, trafficking almost exclusively refers to illicit trade, particularly involving drugs, humans, or other contraband.
Rarely; it is predominantly negative, though historically it meant trade in general, but this is now archaic.
Trafficking often implies exploitation, especially in human contexts, whereas smuggling focuses on illegal transport without necessarily involving exploitation.
No significant differences; both British and American English pronounce it as /ˈtræfɪkɪŋ/.
The illegal trade or transportation of goods, especially drugs, or people, often for exploitation.
Trafficking is usually formal in register.
Trafficking: in British English it is pronounced /ˈtræfɪkɪŋ/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈtræfɪkɪŋ/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “trafficking in influence”
- “caught in the trafficking web”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'traffic' like cars moving, but for illegal items—imagine contraband flowing through secret routes.
Conceptual Metaphor
Illicit trade as a covert flow or network, often visualized as a pipeline or web of exploitation.
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary connotation of 'trafficking' in modern English?