black-market

1 of 2

verb

black-mar·​ket ˈblak-ˈmär-kət How to pronounce black-market (audio)
black-marketed; black-marketing; black-markets

intransitive verb

: to buy or sell goods in the black market

transitive verb

: to sell in the black market
black marketer noun
or black marketeer
black marketeering noun

black market

2 of 2

noun

: 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
Verb
And the year prior, authorities busted a black-market caviar ring in California. Tori Latham, Robb Report, 7 Mar. 2024 The price of many goods is now set by the black-market value of the dollar, which rose to around 70 pounds to the dollar last month, compared with about 16 before the crisis. Nada Rashwan, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 But the legislation, designed to track marijuana transactions and diminish black-market sales, largely failed to factor in mobile-pot businesses. Peter Hecht, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2024 The core of Milam’s appeal is the charismatic narrative of his rise from black-market hustler to mogul. Ezra Marcus, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2024 The peso’s unofficial, black-market rate is currently trading around 1,070 per dollar. Ryan Dubé, WSJ, 12 Dec. 2023 The black-market price of dollars continues to tick up. Claire Parker, Washington Post, 10 Dec. 2023 The right number probably lies between the official rate and the black-market rate of roughly 1000:1. Matt Sekerke, National Review, 29 Nov. 2023 From 2001 to the present, the peso has depreciated from 1 peso per dollar to a black-market rate of around 900 pesos per dollar currently, one of the worst performances in the world. Steve H. Hanke, National Review, 15 Nov. 2023
Noun
At a street market, a man in a police uniform could be seen exchanging gas with a resident, an apparent sign of an emerging black market for fuel. Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024 The lack of supply, high list prices (around $1,000 a month without coverage), and routine lack of insurance coverage of these drugs has also led to the emergence of a gray and black market. Ed Cara / Gizmodo, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2024 That has made the United States currency both indispensable and scarce, creating a murky black market in which the dollar’s value far outpaces the exchange rate artificially set by the government of about 31 pounds to the dollar. Nada Rashwan, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 Licensed retailers across the state have complained about the difficulty of competing against a black market. Brad Branan, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2024 However, the research did not turn up any evidence that bans created surges of people who turned to a black market for menthol cigarettes. Jen Christensen, CNN, 21 Feb. 2024 At the beginning of a black market, when there’s more instability, there could be violence that results from regional groups competing over the same area. Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2024 Jewelry, cash and precious metals stolen from homes have been sold on the black market. The Arizona Republic, 28 Feb. 2024 Luxon and his ministers argued that lifting the ban would bring in critical tax revenue from cigarette sales and prevent the creation of a black market. Siladitya Ray, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'black-market.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1727, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

1931, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of black-market was in 1727

Dictionary Entries Near black-market

black mark

black-market

black market

Cite this Entry

“Black-market.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/black-market. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

black market

noun
: trade that is against government controls (as of prices or rationing)
also : the place where such trade is carried on
black marketer
-ˈmär-kət-ər
noun
or black marketeer
-ˌmär-kə-ˈti(ə)r

More from Merriam-Webster on black-market

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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