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.
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as in to smuggle
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of black-market
Charles Trepany, USA Today, 18 June 2025
Many made their own, reused them, or bought them at black-market prices.
—Will Ripley, CNN Money, 18 June 2025
Ted Johnson, Deadline, 2 June 2025
But unlike in Colorado or California, recreational users in Texas will be largely out of luck — or will turn to the black market, state Democrats argued.
—Saul Elbein, The Hill, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for black-market
Noun
Yikes: People are getting black-market silicone injected into their butts.
—Charles Trepany, USA Today, 18 June 2025
Many made their own, reused them, or bought them at black-market prices.
—Will Ripley, CNN Money, 18 June 2025
Verb
He was featured in Marquardt’s 2021 report on the exorbitant fees being demanded on the black market to evacuate Afghans during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 2 June 2025
But unlike in Colorado or California, recreational users in Texas will be largely out of luck — or will turn to the black market, state Democrats argued.
—Saul Elbein, The Hill, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for black-market
Recent Examples of Synonyms for black-market
Noun
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Perhaps the most important observation here is how the LNG trade has shifted from a few key producers to a broad mix of suppliers across five continents.—
Robert Rapier,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
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This enables users to jump in or out of a position immediately—important during live sports events when prices are volatile and quick trade execution is paramount.—
Dan Bernstein,
Sportico.com,
15 July 2025
Verb
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On June 1, using hundreds of short-range one-way attack drones smuggled deep into Russian territory, Ukraine was able to significantly damage or destroy at least 11 Russian strategic bombers as part of its Operation Spider’s Web.—
Michael C. Horowitz,
Foreign Affairs,
4 July 2025
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Meanwhile, the Astors, who had amassed a nearly obscene amount of real estate in New York City, became the country’s first multimillionaires by smuggling opium.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
3 July 2025
Noun
-
Existing in somewhat of a gray market in Maryland over the past several years, local hemp businesses have been able to grow, process and sell their products without the need for a cannabis license.—
Dan Belson,
Baltimore Sun,
16 June 2025
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You shouldn’t be worried as long as the filler is FDA-approved, purchased from a legitimate source (not gray market) and injected by a qualified professional.—
Carlos Wolf,
Miami Herald,
19 June 2025
Verb
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Our community’s green space has been treated as expendable, bartered away for the benefit of an outside sports franchise.—
John Herbst,
Sun Sentinel,
5 July 2025
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But while metal coins were more convenient than bartering, they were limited by the ability to mine precious metals.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
30 May 2025
Noun
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With a bout against WBA champion Fernando Daniel Martinez already confirmed for November, Rodriguez must first take care of business against a dangerous and determined Cafu.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 July 2025
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Earlier that year, McArthur was also convicted of fraud and racketeering charges related to her family’s jukebox and gaming machine business and was sentenced to seven years in state prison, per the Pensacola News Journal.—
Emily Blackwood,
People.com,
19 July 2025
Verb
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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
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Advertisement Of course, there’s not a whole lot regulators can do to make a marketplace more competitive.—
Alana Semuels,
Time,
15 July 2025
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Women’s Sports, a one-day event dedicated to driving innovation, investment, and progress in the rapidly growing women’s sports marketplace.—
Sportico Staff,
Sportico.com,
14 July 2025
Verb
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The noon Christmas in July event began with a lunch, then residents exchanged gifts during a popular seasonal game called white elephant – where typically low-cost items or interesting things lying around the house are wrapped and put in play.—
Jesse Wright,
Chicago Tribune,
8 July 2025
-
While chasing the suspect later in the morning, officers exchanged gunfire with the man and killed him.—
Claudia Levens,
jsonline.com,
8 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Black-market.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/black-market. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
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