trafficker

UK: /ˈtræfɪkə^r/

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

traf•fic /ˈtræfɪk/   n., v., -ficked, -fick•ing. 
n. [uncountable]

1. Transport the movement of vehicles, ships, etc., in an area or over a route:
   a report on the traffic and weather.
2. Transport the vehicles, persons, etc., moving in an area or over a route:
   heavy traffic.
3. trade;
   buying and selling;
   commerce:
   the traffic in illegal drugs.
4. Transport, Telecommunications the total amount of freight, passengers, messages, etc., handled in a given period:
   Can those outdated telephone systems handle the increased traffic from cellular phones?
5. communication between persons or groups:
   traffic in ideas.

v. [no object]

6. to carry on trade or commerce.
7. to trade in a commodity or service, often of an illegal nature:
   to traffic in opium.

traf•fick•er, n. [countable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

traf•fic  (traf′ik), n., v., -ficked, -fick•ing. 
n. 

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, esp. 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.

v.i. 

11. to carry on traffic, trade, or commercial dealings.
12. to trade or deal in a specific commodity or service, often of an illegal nature (usually fol. by in):
    to traffic in opium.

• Italian traffico (noun, nominal), trafficare (verb, verbal), of disputed origin, originally
• Middle French trafique (noun, nominal), trafiquer (verb, verbal)
• earlier traffyk 1495–1505

traf ′fick•er, n. 
traf ′fic•less, adj. 
Synonyms

• 4. See trade.