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
Key lime pie has been enjoyed by locals in Key West for over 100 years, which means bootleggers and Ernest Hemingway both (most likely) indulged in the sweet-tart treat.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 28 Dec. 2025
And follow along on NASCAR’s journey, from its bootlegger beginnings to its billion-dollar rise to the top of the sports world.
—Bill Bootz, Charlotte Observer, 23 Dec. 2025
No one knows why; no one has a telephone in the rural Blue Ridge Mountains, so John Boy sets out into a winter storm to find his daddy, having various escapades with the quirky residents of their backwoods community—a Black preacher, a pair of old-lady bootleggers, a turkey thief—along the way.
—Literary Hub, 22 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for bootlegger
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Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 28 Dec. 2025
And follow along on NASCAR’s journey, from its bootlegger beginnings to its billion-dollar rise to the top of the sports world.
—Bill Bootz, Charlotte Observer, 23 Dec. 2025
No one knows why; no one has a telephone in the rural Blue Ridge Mountains, so John Boy sets out into a winter storm to find his daddy, having various escapades with the quirky residents of their backwoods community—a Black preacher, a pair of old-lady bootleggers, a turkey thief—along the way.
—Literary Hub, 22 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for bootlegger
Cite this Entry
“Bootlegger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bootlegger. Accessed 5 Jan. 2026.
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