as in trade
a system through which things are bought and sold illegally
The black market in prescription drugs is thriving. They unloaded the stolen goods on the black market.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to smuggle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 black market
Kayti Burt, Time, 4 Apr. 2025
The price of Iran’s currency, the rial, rallied slightly against the dollar on the black market.
—Farnaz Fassihi, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 14 Apr. 2025
Ross Ulbricht, founder of the black-market website, Silk Road.[3]
Trevor Milton, CEO of Nikola Corporation, defrauded his investors.
—Sanjeev Menon, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for black market
Noun
The black market surgeon is revealed to be Jeong-min, Ju-yeon’s boyfriend.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 4 Apr. 2025
The price of Iran’s currency, the rial, rallied slightly against the dollar on the black market.
—Farnaz Fassihi, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
Verb
The group is also urging Facebook-parent Meta to more aggressively enforce its rules against fraud and deceptive practices by cracking down on these black-market groups.
—Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 14 Apr. 2025
Ross Ulbricht, founder of the black-market website, Silk Road.[3]
Trevor Milton, CEO of Nikola Corporation, defrauded his investors.
—Sanjeev Menon, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for black market
Recent Examples of Synonyms for black market
Noun
-
Peter Navarro, Trump’s top trade adviser, told reporters Thursday that the Administration will still find a way to implement the tariffs regardless of the court ruling on Trump’s use of emergency powers.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
30 May 2025
-
Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio.—
Paulina Likos,
CNBC,
29 May 2025
Verb
-
The other senators are immediately abuzz, and Mothma has to be smuggled out of the spherical senate chamber to avoid abduction by a turncoat.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
21 May 2025
-
Prison officials in Costa Rica caught an unlikely suspect attempting to smuggle drugs behind bars last week.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
19 May 2025
Noun
-
The city is moving aggressively to shut down the once-thriving gray market — a matter of public safety, and also essential for the legal medical cannabis industry to thrive.—
Anna Spiegel,
Axios,
24 Apr. 2025
-
Additionally, appropriate pricing strategies can assist in mitigating some of the challenges associated with the gray market.—
Bhavesh Gupta,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
This latest delay comes after a two-hour break that ended at 1:30 p.m. as prosecutors, the defense and judge bartered and petitioned the governor’s office for the full report and the waiving of privilege to see it.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
17 Apr. 2025
-
However, the goal is to open the door to the possibility of bartering.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
15 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Protecting people, not just businesses, is the government’s job.—
The Editors,
Scientific American,
20 May 2025
-
The film business is susceptible to the same pressures, the same corporate tendencies to prioritize technology, efficiency, and hype over humanity and art.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
20 May 2025
Verb
-
In 1920s Anaheim, the big local issue was bootlegging and Catholics, who were seen as foreigners in what was supposed to be an Anglo-Saxon Protestant country.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2025
-
In Chicago, as in other major cities, a few high-profile mobsters battled it out for bootlegging supremacy.—
Sarah Holzmann,
Smithsonian Magazine,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
By third quarter, Gartner is predicting, 60 percent of consumers will have elected to delay a major purchase, with 60 percent buying on secondhand and peer-to-peer marketplaces by the end of the year.—
Dan Gingiss,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
-
The bill would make lawfully present immigrants – but not green card holders or citizens – ineligible for Medicare and for healthcare coverage on the Affordable Care Act marketplaces.—
Ximena Bustillo,
NPR,
28 May 2025
Verb
-
President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa (L) and U.S. President Donald Trump exchange words during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on May 21, 2025 in Washington, DC.—
Gerald Imray,
Fortune,
21 May 2025
-
As part of the task force, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network could issue alerts, exchange information with banks and refiners to stay updated on traffickers, and encourage trading entities to file reports on suspicious transactions.—
SASHA LEZHNEV,
Foreign Affairs,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Black market.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/black%20market. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share