Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1500-1600
Origin: Early French trafique, from Old Italian traffico, from trafficare 'to trade'

traffic

1 noun
     
Related topics: Trade, Crime, Transport, Roads
traf‧fic1 S1 W2 [uncountable]
1TTR the vehicles moving along a road or street:
The traffic noise kept me awake.
There wasn't much traffic on the roads.
They must have got caught in rush-hour traffic.
We were stuck in heavy traffic (=a large amount of traffic) for more than an hour.
plans to help ease traffic congestion in the city
We believe that the plans will increase the volume of traffic (=the amount of traffic).
2TT the movement of aircraft, ships, or trains from one place to another:
air traffic control
the problems of air traffic congestion in Europe
3 formalTT the movement of people or goods by aircraft, ships, or trains
traffic of
Most long-distance traffic of heavy goods is done by ships.
4BBTSCC the secret buying and selling of illegal goods:
drugs traffic
traffic in
traffic in firearms
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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