as in alcohol
illegally produced liquor
getting caught with bootleg during Prohibition could have resulted in a jail sentence
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in unauthorized
made or sold illegally
During the Prohibition era, many people made their own bootleg whiskey. He was arrested for selling bootleg copies of the album.
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in to smuggle
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of bootleg
Al Shipley, SPIN, 25 Dec. 2024
The quarterback can bootleg in and out of the perimeter of cameras, as the testing aims to simulate as many football movements as possible.
—Jourdan Rodrigue, The Athletic, 27 Aug. 2024
Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Aug. 2025
The Patriots are calling bootleg play-action passes, other movement throws and a wider array of run-pass options.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 16 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bootleg
Noun
Living in Woodstock, New York, Dylan spent a lot of time in nearby Saugerties at the Band’s famous Big Pink house, recording dozens of songs that were heavily bootlegged and sometimes sent to other artists to record.
—Al Shipley, SPIN, 25 Dec. 2024
The quarterback can bootleg in and out of the perimeter of cameras, as the testing aims to simulate as many football movements as possible.
—Jourdan Rodrigue, The Athletic, 27 Aug. 2024
Adjective
Additionally, there’s a small museum in the administration building, which Bryant operates, displaying a surviving roulette wheel, poker chips, bootleg liquor bottles and other items from Top O’ Hill’s wild heyday.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Aug. 2025
The Patriots are calling bootleg play-action passes, other movement throws and a wider array of run-pass options.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 16 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bootleg
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bootleg
Noun
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Sheen, 60, opens up about his misuse of drugs and alcohol which wreaked havoc on his health and career.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
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At the bar, Jeremiah is drunk and drowning his pain in alcohol.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Citing a 1993 Florida law statute and a Miami Dade County ordinance, Fernandez said his office will revoke or refuse to renew local business tax receipts, formerly known as occupational licenses, for people or entities engaging in unauthorized business activities with Cuba.—
Nora Gamez Torres,
Miami Herald,
6 Sep. 2025
-
American social media influencer Ethan Guo has been released from a Chilean military base in Antarctica after spending two months in detention following an unauthorized landing.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The horns, smuggled from Angola, were seized, and the Vietnamese national involved was arrested.—
Real-Time News team,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Slightly, meanwhile, targets Joe as his patsy to smuggle a Xenomorph embryo out of Prodigy, still resentful that Wendy’s family is here safely while his mother is far away and being threatened by Morrow.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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To prevent a repeat of Otis’ near-death brush with booze, the distillery has asked the city for a dumpster with a lid.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
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Some common over-the-counter medications, like Tylenol, pose danger to the liver when combined with booze.—
Jamie Ducharme,
Health,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The scenes from inside Corinthians Arena showed fans wearing jerseys and merchandise for every NFL team.—
Joseph Hernandez,
Kansas City Star,
8 Sep. 2025
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As a haunted doll, Annabelle has all sorts of merchandizing opportunities that other demons just can’t muster.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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While the Vacation partnership runs through September, the bar program leans into these ever-changing temperatures with strategic year-round summer drinks like the Easy Breezy—Ford's Gin, Pisco, white grape, passion fruit and cucumber—vacation insurance in liquid form.—
Jenn Rice,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
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Beet juice has gained popularity among athletes as an antioxidant-rich pre-workout drink.—
Stephanie Brown,
Verywell Health,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Using tree protection fencing to make sure existing trees and their roots are unharmed during construction.—
Gillian Stawiszynski,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
11 Sep. 2025
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Nance learned pipe welding from his uncle, who built fencing for corrals.—
Jessica Nicholson,
Billboard,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In his office at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Wheeler kept several jars of brownish-red homemade moonshine that were natural conversation pieces when the talk turned to NASCAR’s roots.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Aug. 2025
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The downtown distillery and bar uses the original Great Depression-era recipe for its moonshine, but has also expanded to produce vodka, whiskey, sorghum rum, and beer.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
16 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bootleg.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bootleg. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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