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 There’s also rumored to be a tunnel in Toot’s basement that smugglers used during Prohibition to get resupplies from the waterfront. John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 20 June 2025 Adventure abounds when bird smugglers get involved and bird-nap the two macaws. Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 June 2025 Their inadequate winter clothes were only what the smugglers provided, the survivor told the jury. Steve Karnowski, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 May 2025 The International Organization for Migration in a statement said the migrants were part of a group of 150 others who were forced by smugglers to disembark a boat and swim to shore on June 5. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 12 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for smuggler
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smuggler
Noun
  • Just as runners map their route to avoid unnecessary hills or dangerous intersections, project leaders must anticipate obstacles and plan alternative pathways.
    Sarah Edwards, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
  • If the stats with runners on base weren't bad enough, Swanson's numbers with runners in scoring position decrease even more.
    Andrew Wright, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 July 2025
Noun
  • The fentanyl was then smuggled by the Sinaloa cartel’s couriers, using vehicles and tunnels that went from Tijuana and other border locations into the U.S., according to the plea.
    Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 2025
  • Last month, the courier’s other ongoing labor dispute was resolved when Canada Post’s second-largest postal workers union, the Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association (CPAA), agreed to new terms.
    Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 8 July 2025
Noun
  • Her mother’s parents, the Pattis (her first name is her mother’s maiden name), were immigrant bootleggers; their sewing room had removable floorboards to hide whiskey.
    Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
  • 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
Noun
  • This was no low-level mule who ferried drugs on his person, but a state attorney general who had facilitated cartel smuggling for years.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2025
  • The star accessorized with all-white accessories: mules, a clutch purse, sunglasses and earrings.
    Catherine Santino, People.com, 1 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Smuggler.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smuggler. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.

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