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
Jeremiah TaxIn nearby Nogales smugglers tunnel 6 ft. under the border and funnel people through.—Terry McCarthy
Terry McCarthyOfficials 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
FocusExamples of smuggler in a Sentence
during Prohibition, smugglers of alcohol did a brisk business
Recent Examples on the Web
First by shadowing a refugee smuggler and some refugees preparing to trek through the treacherous Darién Gap rainforest.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 30 Sep. 2025
The family travelled north from Central America for weeks, crossing rivers by night and riding concealed in smugglers’ trucks.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Next, the smuggler travels hours or even days to coordinates sent by their anonymous recruiter — some from as far as New York or Seattle, law enforcement officers and recruiters in Arizona and Texas said.
—Avery Schmitz, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025
Washington should therefore seek reinvigorated technical dialogues on promoting high standards for nuclear security and making sure that nuclear materials do not fall into the hands of smugglers or terrorists.
—Mariano-Florentino CuÉllar, Foreign Affairs, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smuggler
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Randy Myers, Mercury News, 30 Sep. 2025
The family travelled north from Central America for weeks, crossing rivers by night and riding concealed in smugglers’ trucks.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Next, the smuggler travels hours or even days to coordinates sent by their anonymous recruiter — some from as far as New York or Seattle, law enforcement officers and recruiters in Arizona and Texas said.
—Avery Schmitz, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025
Washington should therefore seek reinvigorated technical dialogues on promoting high standards for nuclear security and making sure that nuclear materials do not fall into the hands of smugglers or terrorists.
—Mariano-Florentino CuÉllar, Foreign Affairs, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smuggler
Cite this Entry
“Smuggler.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smuggler. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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