bootlegger

noun

boot·​leg·​ger ˈbüt-ˌle-gər 

-ˌlā-

plural bootleggers

: one who bootlegs something: such as

a

: a person who makes or sells alcoholic liquor illegally

… in sleepy little St-Hilaire, once a Prohibition boom town, from which bootleggers smuggled truckloads of whisky into the U.S. …

—Will Ferguson

Most of us associate the pocket flask with the Roaring Twenties era of the bootlegger and the speakeasy …

—Linda Rosenkrantz

b

: a person who produces, reproduces, or distributes something (such as a recording) illicitly or without authorization

As part of his job, Schoenfeld is charged with ferreting out record bootleggers and protecting the copyright interests of record labels.

—Holly Gleason

… the conversation ran from how the different companies project returns on direct mail to efforts to crack down on software bootleggers.

—Leslie Brokaw

Synonyms of bootlegger

• smuggler

Examples of bootlegger in a Sentence

a bootlegger of counterfeit electronics

Recent Examples on the Web

Your guide will teach you about the origins of Prohibition and tell stories of infamous bootleggers. — Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Aug. 2026

Brian Wilson wrote the song in 1963 with his buddy Bob Norberg, and the band cut a version that year during the Surfer Girl sessions that eventually leaked out to bootleggers. — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 17 Aug. 2026

Jones had played a federal agent in Moonrunners (1975), a rollicking film from United Artists about bootleggers that was written and directed by Gy Waldron, starred Jim Mitchum and featured narration from country singer Waylon Jennings. — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 9 Aug. 2026

Gosha, a local station master, has a side-hustle of his own, turning a blind eye while bootleggers siphon diesel from the tankers that sit idly on the train tracks. — Damon Wise, Deadline, 11 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

bootleg entry 1 + -er entry 2

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bootlegger

• beggar
• egger
• jaeger