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
Will FergusonMost of us associate the pocket flask with the Roaring Twenties era of the bootlegger and the speakeasy …—Linda Rosenkrantz
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
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
Leslie BrokawExamples of bootlegger in a Sentence
a bootlegger of counterfeit electronics
Recent Examples on the Web
Captured by the legendary late bootlegger Mike Millard and well-known in the grey market, it’s been spruced up by Steven Wilson for inclusion on the set, marking its first-ever official release.
—Gary Graff, Billboard, 12 Dec. 2025
The concert recording, captured on April 26, 1975 — nearly half a year before the album was released — at the Los Angeles Sports Arena by an ingenious bootlegger, sounds about as good as a stereo tape capturing live quadrophonic sound could.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 11 Dec. 2025
The Tunnels story is that Chinese immigrants built a network of tunnels under the city because they were forced to live underground; the tunnels were then used by gangsters and bootleggers, including Al Capone.
—JSTOR Daily, 20 Oct. 2025
Prohibition also took hold in Indiana during the decade, though bootleggers did pop up across the state.
—Joe Mutascio, IndyStar, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bootlegger
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Gary Graff, Billboard, 12 Dec. 2025
The concert recording, captured on April 26, 1975 — nearly half a year before the album was released — at the Los Angeles Sports Arena by an ingenious bootlegger, sounds about as good as a stereo tape capturing live quadrophonic sound could.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 11 Dec. 2025
The Tunnels story is that Chinese immigrants built a network of tunnels under the city because they were forced to live underground; the tunnels were then used by gangsters and bootleggers, including Al Capone.
—JSTOR Daily, 20 Oct. 2025
Prohibition also took hold in Indiana during the decade, though bootleggers did pop up across the state.
—Joe Mutascio, IndyStar, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bootlegger
Cite this Entry
“Bootlegger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bootlegger. Accessed 21 Dec. 2025.
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