traffic in + illegal goods
Talking about illegal trade
Use traffic in for buying and selling illegal or controlled items.
They were arrested for trafficking in counterfeit medicine
traffic with different prepositions
Traffic commonly takes in when it means trade illegally. Other prepositions usually express movement or direction rather than a fixed verb pattern.
Quick answer
Which prepositions are used with traffic?
Traffic in is the standard pattern for illegal trade: traffic in drugs or stolen goods. Traffic to, into, and across are usually movement adjuncts, as in traffic into the city. Traffic for is uncommon with this verb.
traffic in stolen art
Heavy traffic into the tunnel caused delays
Air traffic across the border increased
Morning traffic to the airport was slow
Heavy traffic into the tunnel caused delays
Air traffic across the border increased
Morning traffic to the airport was slow
Choose the pattern by meaning
These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.
traffic into + place
Describing movement entering somewhere
Into can describe movement or flow toward the inside of a place.
Police limited traffic into downtown during the event
traffic across + area
Describing movement from one side to another
Across describes movement over an area or border.
Commercial traffic across the bridge resumed at noon
See the difference in context
The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.
Construction
Example
Meaning
traffic in
The group trafficked in rare animal products.
Standard verb pattern meaning illegal trade.
traffic for
They used the website to generate traffic for the campaign.
For usually belongs to the noun traffic, not the verb traffic.
traffic to
Traffic to the stadium was heavy.
To shows destination and functions as a movement adjunct.
traffic into
Traffic into the port slowed overnight.
Into shows movement entering a place.
traffic across
Traffic across the border increased.
Across shows movement from one side to another.
Common mistakes
Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.
Using traffic for as a verb pattern
Traffic for is not a standard verb-preposition combination.
✕ They trafficked for weapons. ✓ They trafficked in weapons.Confusing the verb and noun uses of traffic
Traffic as a noun often takes to or from.
✕ They trafficked to the airport was heavy. ✓ Traffic to the airport was heavy.Quick practice
Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.
1. The gang was accused of trafficking ___ illegal firearms.
2. Traffic ___ the city centre increased after the concert.
3. Traffic ___ the border was delayed by inspections.
Check your sentence in context
Paste the complete sentence below. Linguix checks the preposition together with grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style.
Free to try · No signup required
Frequently asked questions
Is traffic in always negative?
As a verb, traffic in usually refers to illegal or unethical trade.
Can I say traffic to somewhere?
Yes, but this is usually a noun phrase such as traffic to the airport, not the verb traffic.
Is traffic for correct?
Not usually as a verb pattern. For is more common with the noun traffic, especially in marketing contexts.
Related preposition guides
Write with confidence in Linguix
Create a free account to check complete texts, apply suggestions, and save your documents.
