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 alleged people smugglers have been charged after a panga boat holding migrants capsized off Imperial Beach, San Diego, killing four passengers, federal prosecutors said Monday. —Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 18 Nov. 2025

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has made efforts to tackle both of these issues, with Mexican authorities frequently arresting smugglers, and American citizens for offenses related to organized crime, close to the border. —Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Nov. 2025

Pursued by police vehicles, the smugglers panic. —Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025

Set in 1970s Korea, the crime noir follows Baek Kitae, a KCIA agent leading a double life as a smuggler. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 13 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1661, in the meaning defined above