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

Data brokers are already implementing cross-device tracking to facilitate dynamic profiling. —Zak Doffman, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025

Some lawmakers and activists have called for an apology, while others have used the incident to highlight concerns about racial profiling and the treatment of members of the Latino community. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 19 Feb. 2025

In the past, the commission has focused on racial profiling in Sacramento County, where Black and Latino residents have been stopped at disproportionate rates, Curtis said. —Emma Hall, Sacramento Bee, 5 Feb. 2025

Read All About It DEA searches of passengers at airports have been halted after the Justice Department’s internal watchdog raised concerns about civil rights violations and potential racial profiling. —Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 22 Nov. 2024

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