traffic
TRA-fihk
Traffic (noun) means Vehicles or pedestrians moving along a road, or the general flow of such movement. Example: “There was hardly any traffic on the high street this early on Sunday.”
noun
1
Vehicles or pedestrians moving along a road, or the general flow of such movement.
"There was hardly any traffic on the high street this early on Sunday."
"Traffic was backed up for miles on the motorway."
"We got stuck in traffic on the way to the airport."
2
The illegal trade of goods, especially drugs or people.
"The documentary explained how the traffic in stolen goods crosses several borders."
"Officers have worked for years to stop the traffic in illegal drugs."
"Police broke up a ring involved in the traffic of stolen weapons."
3
The flow of data, messages, or visitors across a network or website.
"Our website traffic dropped when the search engine changed how it ranks pages."
"The engineers watched network traffic closely during the busy online sale."
"The site saw a huge spike in traffic after going viral."
verb
1
To trade or deal in something, especially illegally.
"Authorities say the gang trafficked in stolen car parts for years."
"It is a serious crime to traffic in endangered animals."
"He was arrested for trafficking counterfeit goods."
How to use traffic
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishVehicles moving on roads, or more broadly, any flow of goods, people, or data.
Common mistake
As a verb ("to traffic in drugs"), it carries a strong illegal-trade connotation — don't use it for ordinary buying and selling.
Common pairings
heavy traffic
traffic jam
website traffic
human trafficking
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Word forms
- Plural
- traffics
- Third person singular
- traffics
- Past tense
- trafficked
- Comparative
- more traffic
- Superlative
- most traffic
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
There was hardly any _____ on the high street this early on Sunday.
Etymology
From Middle French trafique, from Italian traffico ("trade"), from trafficare ("to carry on trade"), of uncertain further origin — possibly from Vulgar Latin or Arabic.
Synonyms
View more →Related words
Frequently asked questions
What does “traffic” mean?
The word “traffic” means vehicles or pedestrians moving along a road, or the general flow of such movement. In plain terms, vehicles moving on roads, or more broadly, any flow of goods, people, or data.
How do you pronounce “traffic”?
“Traffic” is pronounced TRA-fihk (/ˈtɹæfɪk/ in IPA).
How do you use “traffic” in a sentence?
Here is “traffic” used in a sentence: “Traffic was backed up for miles on the motorway.”
What part of speech is “traffic”?
Depending on how it is used, “traffic” can be a noun and a verb.
Where does the word “traffic” come from?
The word “traffic” comes from Vulgar Latin. From Middle French trafique, from Italian traffico ("trade"), from trafficare ("to carry on trade"), of uncertain further origin — possibly from Vulgar Latin or Arabic.
Is “traffic” a common word?
“Traffic” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.
How many meanings does “traffic” have?
“Traffic” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: vehicles or pedestrians moving along a road, or the general flow of such movement.
What is the difference between traffic and congestion?
Traffic is simply the vehicles or people moving along a road, and it can flow freely. Congestion is traffic that has become too heavy for the road, causing delays and slow movement. In other words, congestion is traffic at its worst. You can have light traffic with no congestion at all.
What causes traffic congestion?
Traffic congestion builds when the number of vehicles exceeds the road's capacity. Common causes include rush-hour commuting, accidents, roadworks, poor signal timing, and bottlenecks where lanes merge. Even small slowdowns can ripple backwards into long queues. Weather, events, and sudden braking can also trigger jams that take time to clear.
Does traffic only mean cars?
No. Traffic covers all movement along a route, including cars, buses, lorries, motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians. It also extends beyond roads to air traffic, sea traffic, and rail traffic. More broadly, the word describes the flow of data on a network or visitors to a website, borrowing the idea of movement.
Why is traffic worse at certain times?
Traffic peaks during rush hours, typically early morning and late afternoon, when large numbers of people travel to and from work or school at once. Demand briefly outstrips road capacity, so queues form. School terms, holidays, weather, and local events can all shift when and where the heaviest traffic appears.
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