smuggler

noun

smug·​gler ˈsmə-glər 

plural smugglers

: one who smuggles something

The traffic in drugs—especially cocaine—to Florida by sea and air from South America has been generating wealth to rival that of the tourist trade and attracting a cadre of ingenious and ruthless smugglers from around the world.

—Jeremiah Tax

In nearby Nogales smugglers tunnel 6 ft. under the border and funnel people through.

—Terry McCarthy

Officials in Paraguay raided a wildlife smuggling operation in its capital city, Asunción, on March 25, recovering two critically endangered Brazilian parrots, which Paraguayan smugglers had hoped to sell in West Germany for $40,000.

—Focus

Synonyms

• bootlegger
• contrabandist
• courier
• runner

Examples of smuggler in a Sentence

during Prohibition, smugglers of alcohol did a brisk business

Recent Examples on the Web

Tuesday's incident is the latest involving those being sent across the border by smugglers who tell migrants that the border is open, CBP said. —David Faris, Newsweek, 10 July 2024

Happily, actors Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and Adam Driver proved worthy successors to the smugglers, scavengers, Jedi masters, and Sith Lords who preceded them. —Jennifer M. Wood, WIRED, 4 July 2024

The country has been a popular conduit for smugglers. —David Hodari, NBC News, 3 July 2024

On a recent day in Zapata, Salinas and Sheriff’s Deputy Ramon Arambula inspected a Ford Explorer in an empty lot, believed to have been stolen and abandoned by smugglers. —Rick Jervis, USA TODAY, 31 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1661, in the meaning defined above