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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to smuggle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bootleg
Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
The spread of bootleg clips prompted NBC Universal to ask YouTube to remove the clip and other NBC footage for copyright reasons in February 2006.
—Katherine Schulten, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
Susan Saulny, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024
Land of the Free, Home of the Bootleggers When technology made music mobile, the American South changed from one type of bootlegging industry to another: copying and selling records.
—JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for bootleg
Noun
Between studio recordings, re-releases, deluxe editions, live albums, and a bootleg series that just keeps growing, fans of the Canadian talent never have to wait long before getting their hands on brand new work.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
The spread of bootleg clips prompted NBC Universal to ask YouTube to remove the clip and other NBC footage for copyright reasons in February 2006.
—Katherine Schulten, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
Verb
This was the era of Prohibition, dominated by bootlegging gangsters—Chicago alone was said to be home to 1,300 gangs—and some police departments adopted increasingly brutal tactics to wring the truth out of suspects: beating and burning detainees with cigarettes, or depriving them of sleep.
—Susan Saulny, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024
Land of the Free, Home of the Bootleggers When technology made music mobile, the American South changed from one type of bootlegging industry to another: copying and selling records.
—JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for bootleg
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bootleg
Noun
-
Visitors are also allowed to bring their own lawn chairs and pop-up tents, as well as their own food and drinks (just no alcohol or glass jars and bottles).—
Lydia Mansel,
Southern Living,
17 June 2025
-
Whether naturally occurring or added by the winemaker, the role of yeast in wine production is to digest sugar and produce alcohol, which remains in the wine, and carbon dioxide, which is released as gas.—
Mike DeSimone,
Robb Report,
17 June 2025
Adjective
-
Some say it’s intended to discourage unauthorized migration.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
19 June 2025
-
That incident led the mother to consult with others in the group, who revealed similar experiences of finding Judy in unauthorized parts of their homes.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 June 2025
Verb
-
The Justice Department indicted him in May on two counts of conspiring to smuggle and transport migrants from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Ecuador into the U.S.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
25 June 2025
-
To save the family, son Cane (Jake Weary) decides to start using the family’s fishing boat to smuggle drugs.—
Keith Langston,
People.com,
21 June 2025
Noun
-
And that’s not counting the millions in equity deals that creators are increasingly scoring for partnering with brands ranging from snacks, clothing, soda, and booze.—
Forbes Video,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
-
The therapist has been getting his act together after spending his nights sublimating the pain with booze and pills, and leaving his also-grieving teen daughter, Alice (Lukita Maxwell), to be parented by his blunt next-door neighbor, Liz (Christa Miller).—
Mekishana Pierre Published,
EW.com,
5 June 2025
Verb
-
Everything Estée Lauder did was first-class and so many of us learned from every aspect — leadership skills to merchandising to marketing.—
Jenny B. Fine,
Footwear News,
17 June 2025
-
But his true character is subsumed by a flurry of moments that seem designed to be memed or turned into future merchandising opportunities.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
21 May 2025
Noun
-
This makes enough green tomato water for about 6 cocktails Serving Suggestion To mix one drink: Fill a glass with ice.—
Josh Miller,
Southern Living,
22 June 2025
-
Used to lively activities such as boat rides, loud music, nonstop dancing and drinks at previous bachelorette parties she’s attended, Hadley was eagerly looking forward to her own girls' celebration.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
People.com,
21 June 2025
Verb
-
With heavy security and miles of fencing around the area of the White House and the National Mall, the event helped trigger a nationwide series of protests, called No Kings, partly out of concern that the D.C. spectacle would take on the look of a North Korean leader reviewing his troops.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
14 June 2025
-
The lot is fenced and gated, but the gate was open when agents entered, according to the complaint.—
Brittny Mejia,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2025
Noun
-
Its moonshine is made of 100% corn.—
Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton,
The Denver Post,
30 Dec. 2024
-
The free gift appears to be an Uzi, some ammo, a helmet, armour and a bottle of moonshine, which certainly isn’t a bad collection of loot for free.—
Mike Stubbs,
Forbes,
14 Oct. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Bootleg.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bootleg. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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