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 of smuggler

• runner
• courier
• bootlegger
• mule

Examples of smuggler in a Sentence

during Prohibition, smugglers of alcohol did a brisk business

Recent Examples on the Web

Two smugglers were later sentenced to decades in prison for that incident. —CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026

Since that breakout moment, Weir has continued to use scientific questions to drive the plots of his work, like 2014’s Artemis, a space-heist story starring an intergalactic smuggler set entirely on the moon. —Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2026

Agents were discovering players and then paying smugglers to transport them. —Tyler Carmona, Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2026

Inspectors roam elaborate tunnels used by tomb raiders and smugglers over different eras. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1661, in the meaning defined above