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

The characterization that those killed in the attacks are drug-smugglers has been disputed at times by families of the dead. —Dennis Romero, NBC news, 14 Apr. 2026

The tactic has become more popular with smugglers as police on the beaches try to thwart crossings by puncturing the rafts that groups of migrants have to inflate and carry to the water. —ABC News, 11 Apr. 2026

Cook County Jail in Chicago, which houses nearly 5,000 detainees, has reported increasing cases of smugglers soaking paper with synthetic drugs and sending them into the jail through mail or visitors. —Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2026

Based on the Substack post, the analyst's interviews with fishermen, smugglers and regional officials point to a system in which Iran is selectively allowing ships to pass. —Yun Li, CNBC, 6 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1661, in the meaning defined above