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

For example, when Rhode Islanders complained about how the British ship Gaspee was attacking their ships without mercy in its hunt for smugglers, the Royal Navy waved away the colonial government. — Robert Parkinson, The Conversation, 24 June 2026

To get there, Sodais climbed mountains in the snow, moved from border to border with the help of smugglers, got captured a dozen times and spent time in jail. — Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2026

Prepon's next major role was as drug smuggler and love interest Alex Vause on Netflix's Orange Is the New Black. — Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 21 June 2026

The tribe had to pay for tow trucks to remove them—as well as for medical care for any smugglers and migrants who were injured in the area, and for autopsies for those who were found dead. — Geraldo L. Cadava, The Atlantic, 20 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1661, in the meaning defined above