1a. The passage of people or vehicles along routes of transportation. b. Vehicles or pedestrians in transit: heavy traffic on the turnpike; stopped oncoming traffic to let the children cross.2a. The commercial exchange of goods; trade. b. Illegal or improper commercial activity: drug traffic on city streets.3a. The business of moving passengers and cargo through a transportation system. See synonyms at business. b. The amount of cargo or number of passengers conveyed. 4a. The conveyance of messages or data through a system of communication: routers that manage Internet traffic.b. Messages or data conveyed through such a system: a tremendous amount of telephone traffic on Mother's Day; couldn't download the file due to heavy Internet traffic.5. Social or verbal exchange; communication: refused further traffic with the estranged friend.
INTRANSITIVE VERB:
Inflected forms: traf·ficked, traf·fick·ing, traf·fics To carry on trade or other dealings: trafficked in liquidation merchandise; traffic with gangsters.
ETYMOLOGY:
French trafic, from Old French trafique, from Old Italian traffico, from trafficare, to trade, perhaps from Catalan trafegar, to decant, from Vulgar Latin *trnsfaecre : trns-, trans- + faex, faec-, dregs; see feces.
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