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
Charles Trepany, USA Today, 18 June 2025
Many made their own, reused them, or bought them at black-market prices.
—Will Ripley, CNN Money, 18 June 2025
Andy Greenberg, Wired News, 5 June 2025
He was featured in Marquardt’s 2021 report on the exorbitant fees being demanded on the black market to evacuate Afghans during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 2 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for black-market
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Verb
Yikes: People are getting black-market silicone injected into their butts.
—Charles Trepany, USA Today, 18 June 2025
Many made their own, reused them, or bought them at black-market prices.
—Will Ripley, CNN Money, 18 June 2025
Noun
But the company has built a business around identifying illicit services like digital black markets out of the morass of billions of cryptocurrency addresses.
—Andy Greenberg, Wired News, 5 June 2025
He was featured in Marquardt’s 2021 report on the exorbitant fees being demanded on the black market to evacuate Afghans during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 2 June 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 8 Jul. 2025.
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