as in sells
to move (people or goods) from one country to another secretly and illegally
They were arrested for smuggling drugs across the border.
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Recent Examples of smuggles
Produced by Mabel Cheung, Good Trip is the story of a young woman who smuggles her terminally ill father out of a hospital to address his unfulfilled wishes.
—
Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2026
Angela, grieving for her family and friends gone in the war, smuggles goods along the front lines to make a living.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 10 Mar. 2026
Hickinbottom smuggles the little kitten aboard his ship, the HMS Amethyst, and the crew obviously immediately falls in love with him and names the little tuxedo cat Simon.
—Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 27 Feb. 2026
Not everyone smuggles them into print in the form of an imaginary friend.
—Ian Parker, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
According to Reforma, Rocha, a Mexican businessman who also serves as a consul of Guatemala in Mexico, is considered by FRG to be an alleged leader of a criminal organization that smuggles fuel in boats through the Usumacinta River and then in trucks to Querétaro, Mexico.
—Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 26 Nov. 2025
Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2026
Angela, grieving for her family and friends gone in the war, smuggles goods along the front lines to make a living.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 10 Mar. 2026
Hickinbottom smuggles the little kitten aboard his ship, the HMS Amethyst, and the crew obviously immediately falls in love with him and names the little tuxedo cat Simon.
—Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 27 Feb. 2026
Not everyone smuggles them into print in the form of an imaginary friend.
—Ian Parker, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
According to Reforma, Rocha, a Mexican businessman who also serves as a consul of Guatemala in Mexico, is considered by FRG to be an alleged leader of a criminal organization that smuggles fuel in boats through the Usumacinta River and then in trucks to Querétaro, Mexico.
—Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 26 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smuggles
Verb
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Cenci owns a company that sells mermaid clip-on hair extensions and flew in from New Jersey.—
Itzel Luna,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
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Lifestyle Juices also sells ginger, lemon and other wellness shots.—
Cooper Worth,
Des Moines Register,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Swiss food producer distributes KitKat bars globally, except in the United States, where Hershey has the rights.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
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The Social Security Administration (SSA) distributes payments on a staggered schedule throughout each month rather than sending them all at once.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One of the sources said over 850 have been used so far in the conflict, roughly nine times the number of Tomahawks the Pentagon buys each year on average.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
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Comedian Matt Rife buys home in Rhode Island.—
Katie Landeck,
The Providence Journal,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This 81-passenger wooden ferry has been shuttling people and supplies six miles between Mallaig and the off-grid village of Inverie for the past 60 years.—
Jen Murphy,
Robb Report,
4 Apr. 2026
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And an official at Nongshim, South Korea’s largest instant noodle manufacturer, said the company that supplies its plastic packaging currently has about one month’s worth of supply left.—
Stephanie Yang,
CNN Money,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smuggles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smuggles. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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