smuggle

verb

smug·gle ˈsmə-gəl

smuggled; smuggling ˈsmə-g(ə-)liŋ

Synonyms of smuggle next

transitive verb

: to import or export secretly contrary to the law and especially without paying duties imposed by law

: to convey or introduce surreptitiously

intransitive verb

: to import or export something in violation of the customs laws

Example Sentences

He was arrested for smuggling drugs into the country. They smuggled immigrants across the border. The paintings had been smuggled out of the country before the war. We smuggled his favorite sandwich past the nurse.

Recent Examples on the Web The Jalisco cartel is known for producing millions of doses of deadly fentanyl and smuggling them into the United States disguised to look like Xanax, Percocet or oxycodone. —

Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al, 5 May 2023 In his lawsuit filed in 2021, Trump accused the Times reporters of convincing Mary Trump to smuggle private documents from her attorney’s office and share them with the newspaper. —

Siladitya Ray, Forbes, 4 May 2023 Princip’s likeness had to be sawed into pieces and smuggled out of Europe, losing its nose in the fray. —

Kevin Sherrington, Dallas News, 20 Apr. 2023 Migrants fleeing poverty and conflict have increasingly risked their lives in recent years, undertaking the treacherous journey from Northern Africa to reach Europe on flimsy boats, and often being smuggled. —

Mithil Aggarwal, NBC News, 10 Apr. 2023 San Diego Union-Tribune A big-game hunter from Northern California could face up to 26 years in prison for allegedly smuggling the corpse of a rare sheep from Pakistan. —

Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2023 According to the initial complaint filed on April 22, 2022, Robinson knowingly smuggled between 200 and 1,000 grams of marijuana. —

Fox 19 Digital Staff, The Enquirer, 21 Mar. 2023 Speaking in Spanish, the caller said another panga – relatively small fishing boats with outboard motors often used for smuggling operations – had capsized, and eight people were in the water. —

John Bacon, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2023 When Navy SEALs arrived, Frerichs was gone; he had already been smuggled into Pakistan—or to a Taliban safe house in the porous border region—by a new set of guards. —

Michael Ames, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2023 See More

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