black-mar·ket
ˈblak-ˈmär-kət 
black-marketed; black-marketing; black-markets
: to buy or sell goods in the black market
: to sell in the black market
: illicit trade in goods or commodities in violation of official regulations
also
: a place where such trade is carried on
Examples of black-market in a Sentence
Noun
The black market in prescription drugs is thriving.
They unloaded the stolen goods on the black market.
Recent Examples on the Web
Dr. David Maimon, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Food, in his government’s analysis, had become a weapon used by Hamas to sustain its fighters, reward loyalty, and replenish its armaments through black-market profiteering.
—Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 4 Aug. 2025
Tarun Eldho Alias, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Rhino horn can fetch more than $60,000 per kilogram on the black market, a commodity more valuable than gold, platinum or diamonds, according to the United Kingdom's Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.
—Dakota Bennett, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for black-market
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Verb
On Facebook and Telegram, black-market vendors offer three key services that make student aid fraud accessible to virtually anyone.
—Dr. David Maimon, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Food, in his government’s analysis, had become a weapon used by Hamas to sustain its fighters, reward loyalty, and replenish its armaments through black-market profiteering.
—Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 4 Aug. 2025
Noun
Health records can sell for nearly 50 times more than credit card numbers on the black market.
—Tarun Eldho Alias, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Rhino horn can fetch more than $60,000 per kilogram on the black market, a commodity more valuable than gold, platinum or diamonds, according to the United Kingdom's Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.
—Dakota Bennett, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for black-market
Cite this Entry
“Black-market.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/black-market. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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