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
The city's northwest neighborhood was once a hotspot for gun violence and racial profiling.
—
Jireh Deng, NPR, 8 Feb. 2025
Broad discussions of immigration policy, as well as messages encouraging racial profiling or discrimination, are against its guidelines and can be removed.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
Critics through the years have criticized the approach as encouraging racial profiling, with residents in largely Black and Hispanic communities more likely to be given summonses for low-level offenses or arrested.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 30 Jan. 2025
New Jersey State Police were facing accusations of racial profiling before a report revealed a sharp decline in traffic stops that coincided with a rise in crashes, some of them fatal.
—Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 29 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for profiling 
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Jireh Deng, NPR, 8 Feb. 2025
Broad discussions of immigration policy, as well as messages encouraging racial profiling or discrimination, are against its guidelines and can be removed.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
Critics through the years have criticized the approach as encouraging racial profiling, with residents in largely Black and Hispanic communities more likely to be given summonses for low-level offenses or arrested.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 30 Jan. 2025
New Jersey State Police were facing accusations of racial profiling before a report revealed a sharp decline in traffic stops that coincided with a rise in crashes, some of them fatal.
—Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 29 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for profiling
Dictionary Entries Near profiling
Cite this Entry
“Profiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/profiling. Accessed 18 Feb. 2025.
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