profiling

noun

pro·​fil·​ing ˈprō-ˌfī-liŋ 

: the act or process of extrapolating information about a person based on known traits or tendencies

consumer profiling

specifically : the act of suspecting or targeting a person on the basis of observed characteristics or behavior

racial profiling

Examples of profiling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Critics have raised concerns about due process, racial profiling, and the detention of individuals with long-standing ties to their communities as a result of the raids. —Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 May 2025

Artificial intelligence, facial recognition systems and predictive profiling systems lack oversight. —Nicole M. Bennett, The Conversation, 23 Apr. 2025

Studies and federal investigation have shown findings of racial profiling, particularly in Latino communities, in some jurisdictions where the program was active in the 2000s. —Ana Ceballos, Miami Herald, 12 Mar. 2025

The program has created a system of racial profiling by law enforcement, according to the ACLU, which has been working to end the program for over a decade. —Michelle Watson, CNN Money, 28 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1980, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for profiling

• beguiling
• compiling
• refiling
• reviling
• stockpiling
• unsmiling
• filing
• piling
• smiling
• styling
• tiling
• reconciling

Legal Definition

profiling

noun

pro·​fil·​ing

: the practice of singling out persons for law enforcement procedures on the basis of predetermined characteristics

specifically : the discriminatory practice of profiling based on race or ethnicity

racial profiling