1. the practice of analyzing a person’s characteristics to predict their behavior or categorize them
Usage: often used in law enforcement and psychology
2. the discriminatory practice of targeting individuals based on race, ethnicity, or other characteristics
Usage: often considered controversial or illegal
3. the creation of a detailed description or outline of something
Usage: technical or business contexts

Examples

• The FBI uses criminal profiling to help solve difficult cases.
• Racial profiling by police has become a major civil rights issue.
• The company is profiling its customers to improve marketing strategies.
• DNA profiling helped identify the suspect in the investigation.
• Airport security was accused of profiling passengers based on appearance.
• The psychologist created a detailed profiling of the patient’s behavior patterns.
• Market profiling revealed important trends in consumer spending.