as in runners
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
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Recent Examples of smugglers
Now families are cut off from loved ones, and traders — even smugglers — hesitate to cross.
—
ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026
Two smugglers were later sentenced to decades in prison for that incident.
—CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
The smugglers let him aboard, and the boy clambered around hatches that, if opened, would reveal dozens of felonies worth of illicit cargo.
—Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 17 Mar. 2026
Agents were discovering players and then paying smugglers to transport them.
—Tyler Carmona, Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
Inspectors roam elaborate tunnels used by tomb raiders and smugglers over different eras.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
Eastern Libya has become a key launch point for smugglers, undercutting years of EU efforts to curb departures and making Crete a new pressure point.
—Lefteris Pitarakis, Arkansas Online, 1 Mar. 2026
Their bid to cash in on the find quickly unravels into a dangerous pursuit, as smugglers and rivals close in and an unlikely band of companions, including a resourceful fish vendor and a volatile local troublemaker, get swept up in the mayhem.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
With the help of smugglers, many migrants eventually make it to Poland or farther into Europe.
—Elizabeth Flock, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026
Two smugglers were later sentenced to decades in prison for that incident.
—CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
The smugglers let him aboard, and the boy clambered around hatches that, if opened, would reveal dozens of felonies worth of illicit cargo.
—Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 17 Mar. 2026
Agents were discovering players and then paying smugglers to transport them.
—Tyler Carmona, Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
Inspectors roam elaborate tunnels used by tomb raiders and smugglers over different eras.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
Eastern Libya has become a key launch point for smugglers, undercutting years of EU efforts to curb departures and making Crete a new pressure point.
—Lefteris Pitarakis, Arkansas Online, 1 Mar. 2026
Their bid to cash in on the find quickly unravels into a dangerous pursuit, as smugglers and rivals close in and an unlikely band of companions, including a resourceful fish vendor and a volatile local troublemaker, get swept up in the mayhem.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
With the help of smugglers, many migrants eventually make it to Poland or farther into Europe.
—Elizabeth Flock, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smugglers
Noun
-
With runners on the corners and two outs, Bichette lined a single to right, and Carson Benge scored easily.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
31 Mar. 2026
-
In the third, the Cubs had runners at second and third with one out.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Sam An, a pharmacist at a compounding pharmacy until 2021, told me that his workplace employed about twenty people—pharmacists, technicians, cashiers, couriers—in what resembled a chemistry laboratory.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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In many systems, couriers can indicate when a parcel does not fit and request or trigger the opening of a larger locker.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
From embracing bootleggers to pulling its catalog from Spotify, Mackenzie explains how the band has tried to protect its creative core while the industry transforms around it.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Groucho Marx stars as the new president of Huxley College, who attempts to sign on two pro players to help beat rival Darwin University but ends up getting a pair of bootleggers instead.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smugglers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smugglers. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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