TRAFFIC (trafficked, trafficking)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected forms: trafficked    , trafficking   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does traffic mean? 

• TRAFFIC (noun)
  The noun TRAFFIC has 4 senses:

1. the aggregation of things (pedestrians or vehicles) coming and going in a particular locality during a specified period of time

2. buying and selling; especially illicit trade

3. the amount of activity over a communication system during a given period of time

4. social or verbal interchange (usually followed by 'with')

  Familiarity information: TRAFFIC used as a noun is uncommon.

• TRAFFIC (verb)
  The verb TRAFFIC has 2 senses:

1. deal illegally

2. trade or deal a commodity

  Familiarity information: TRAFFIC used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• TRAFFIC (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The aggregation of things (pedestrians or vehicles) coming and going in a particular locality during a specified period of time

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Hypernyms ("traffic" is a kind of...):

accumulation; aggregation; assemblage; collection (several things grouped together or considered as a whole)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "traffic"):

air traffic (traffic created by the movement of aircraft)

commuter traffic (traffic created by people going to or returning from work)

foot traffic; pedestrian traffic (people coming and going on foot)

vehicle traffic; vehicular traffic (the aggregation of vehicles coming and going in a particular locality)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Buying and selling; especially illicit trade

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("traffic" is a kind of...):

commerce; commercialism; mercantilism (transactions (sales and purchases) having the objective of supplying commodities (goods and services))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "traffic"):

drug traffic; drug trafficking; narcotraffic (traffic in illegal drugs)

barratry; simony (traffic in ecclesiastical offices or preferments)

slave trade; slave traffic (traffic in slaves; especially in Black Africans transported to America in the 16th to 19th centuries)

Derivation:

traffic (trade or deal a commodity)

traffic (deal illegally)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The amount of activity over a communication system during a given period of time

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Context example:

traffic on the internet is lightest during the night

Hypernyms ("traffic" is a kind of...):

communicating; communication (the activity of communicating; the activity of conveying information)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Social or verbal interchange (usually followed by 'with')

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

dealings; traffic

Hypernyms ("traffic" is a kind of...):

give-and-take; interchange; reciprocation (mutual interaction; the activity of reciprocating or exchanging (especially information))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "traffic"):

relation ((usually plural) mutual dealings or connections among persons or groups)

• TRAFFIC (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they traffic    ... he / she / it traffics   
Past simple: trafficked   
Past participle: trafficked   
-ing form: trafficking   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Deal illegally

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Context example:

traffic drugs

Hypernyms (to "traffic" is one way to...):

merchandise; trade (engage in the trade of)

Domain category:

crime; criminal offence; criminal offense; law-breaking ((criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

traffic (buying and selling; especially illicit trade)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Trade or deal a commodity

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Context example:

They trafficked with us for gold

Hypernyms (to "traffic" is one way to...):

merchandise; trade (engage in the trade of)

Domain category:

commerce; commercialism; mercantilism (transactions (sales and purchases) having the objective of supplying commodities (goods and services))

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

traffic (buying and selling; especially illicit trade)

trafficker (someone who promotes or exchanges goods or services for money)

 Context examples 

This allele, which encodes C-C chemokine receptor type 10 protein, is involved in the regulation of leukocyte trafficking and is involved in T cell-mediated skin inflammation.

(CCR10 wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

Chemokines regulate immune system function and leukocyte trafficking, through interactions with GPCRs, and have effects on the central nervous system as well as endothelial cells involved in angiogenesis or angiostasis.

(Chemokine (C-X-C Motif) Ligand 1, NCI Thesaurus)

This allele, which encodes collagen type IV alpha-3-binding protein, may be involved in the regulation of ceramide trafficking.

(COL4A3BP wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

This protein plays a role in both calcium binding and vesicle trafficking.

(Copine-1, NCI Thesaurus)

This allele, which encodes small inducible cytokine A19 protein, plays a role in thymic T cell trafficking and in B and T cell migration.

(CCL19 wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

Intracellular glycosylation of glycoproteins is involved in many cellular processes, including lymphocyte trafficking, immune cell stimulation, embryogenesis, and cancer metastasis.

(Carbohydrate Processing Inhibitor, NCI Thesaurus)

This protein is involved in vesicular trafficking.

(Alpha-Taxilin, NCI Thesaurus)

It is also involved in neuropeptide signaling, regulation of transcription and membrane trafficking.

(BAI2 Gene, NCI Thesaurus)

This allele, which encodes breast carcinoma amplified sequence 4 protein, may be involved in both the progression of breast cancer and the regulation of vesicular trafficking.

(BCAS4 wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

Homologs of these proteins are also involved in membrane fusion in other aspects of vesicle trafficking.

(Botulin Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)