smuggler

as in runner
a person who imports or exports goods secretly and illegally during Prohibition, smugglers of alcohol did a brisk business

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of smuggler Border Patrol officials said the most common vessels used by smugglers include pangas, pleasure boats and even personal watercraft. Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 May 2025 The Context Panga boats—open vessels typically used for fishing—are frequently employed by smugglers attempting to transport people or goods illegally across coastal borders. Dan Gooding gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 May 2025 In April 2023, smugglers allegedly fled the Burke Border Patrol Station’s sector at a high speed after setting off a border sensor. Alexandra Koch , Jake Gibson, FOXNews.com, 3 May 2025 In a separate incident, two human smugglers were sentenced May 15 after a series of high-speed chases near the border. Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 24 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for smuggler
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smuggler
Noun
  • Both players have struggled with runners in scoring position this season, but that wasn’t the case Tuesday.
    Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2025
  • Poppe also singled in the fifth before being replaced by a pinch runner, sophomore Jordan Varble, who scored to extend the lead to 3-0.
    Dave Melton, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2025
Noun
  • Cui and Miller allegedly paid about $10,000 as a deposit for the cryptographic device through a courier in the U.S. and wire transfer to a U.S. bank account, officials said.
    Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2025
  • Now, though, he was led away as an international drug smuggler who had tried to bring 60 kilograms (132lb) of cannabis, with a street value of £600,000 ($815,000) into England, duping his girlfriend into being one of his couriers.
    Stuart James, New York Times, 6 June 2025
Noun
  • However, when a bootlegger is seen as simply trying to ride others’ success in a self-serving manner, community support quickly wanes, and job opportunities for the bootlegger can even dry out.
    London School of Economics, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
  • Or Telfar’s reimagining of Canal Street bootleggers as craftspeople, just as important as their Italian counterparts.
    Jeremy O. Harris, Vogue, 16 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The parade features dozens of armored combat vehicles, helicopters, vintage warplanes, thousands of soldiers in uniforms from the Revolutionary War to the present, horses, two mules and a dog.
    Tom Vanden Brook, USA Today, 13 June 2025
  • And pay special attention to those Franco Sarto mules, which are a steep 30% off despite being spotted on Katie Holmes earlier this spring.
    Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 11 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Smuggler.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smuggler. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.

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