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

So can those who set prices; deal with Mexican cartel suppliers; launder money; establish drug houses; and pay smugglers, intermediaries and others. —Kevin Krause, Dallas Morning News, 6 Jan. 2026

Yes, arrest the murderers, drug lords and gang members, thieves and smugglers. —Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 2 Jan. 2026

Adama Sane, 24, once dreamed of reaching Europe but didn’t have money to pay smugglers. —Mark Banchereau, Fortune, 29 Dec. 2025

Smugglers guide draft evaders out of Ukraine For those who can afford it, paying a smuggler can be tempting. —Clarissa Ward, CNN Money, 23 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1661, in the meaning defined above