smuggle

verb smug·gle \ ˈsmə-gəl \

Updated on: 11 Apr 2018

Definition of smuggle

smuggled; smuggling play \-g(ə-)liŋ\

transitive verb

1 : to import or export secretly contrary to the law and especially without paying duties imposed by law

2 : to convey or introduce surreptitiously

intransitive verb

: to import or export something in violation of the customs laws

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smuggler

play \ˈsmə-glər\ noun

See smuggle defined for English-language learners

See smuggle defined for kids

Examples of smuggle in a Sentence

He was arrested for smuggling drugs into the country.
They smuggled immigrants across the border.
The paintings had been smuggled out of the country before the war.
We smuggled his favorite sandwich past the nurse.

Recent Examples of smuggle from the Web

The rescue plan was simple but risky: The children were surreptitiously handed over a hedge between the nursery and the college and hidden in a classroom until they could be smuggled to the countryside by Dutch Resistance groups.

— richard sandomir, BostonGlobe.com, "Johan van Hulst, helped save 600 children from the Nazis," 4 Apr. 2018
That forced me to focus on the rebel side, which meant being smuggled across the Turkish border into northern Syria.

— National Geographic, "War in Syria: Stories of Survival and Hope," 31 Mar. 2018
He was actually smuggled out of the country in an orange crate.

— kayleigh roberts, Marie Claire, "Fact-Checking Prince Philip's Portrayal on 'The Crown'," 30 Mar. 2018
According to the government agency Chilean National Monuments Council, the skeleton may have been illegally exhumed and smuggled out of the country.

— julissa treviño, Smithsonian, "Chilean Government Investigates Whether the Atacama Mummy Was Illegally Exhumed," 30 Mar. 2018
The drug ring collects £6,000 (approximately $13,000), and the person who smuggles the drugs collects £3,000 (approximately $6,500) toward his tickets to heaven.

— win mccormack, The New Republic, "Outside the Limits of the Human Imagination," 27 Mar. 2018
Another new paper sketches in horrifying detail what this failure would mean, though its findings are smuggled in under cover of rhetorical optimism.

— david wallace-wells, Daily Intelligencer, "The Paris Climate Accords Are Looking More and More Like Fantasy," 25 Mar. 2018
One of those arrested, accused of kissing an inmate and smuggling drugs, had the inmate's name tattooed on her arm -- and the inmate had her name tattooed on his, officials said.

— laura mcknight, NOLA.com, "4 Angola officers accused of drug-smuggling, 'inappropriate behavior:' state officials," 21 Mar. 2018
Prosecutors charged Loaiza, 46, with possession and transportation for sale of more than 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of cocaine, a cocaine base or heroin, and using a false compartment to smuggle drugs.

— julie watson, Houston Chronicle, "Ex-All-Star pitcher Esteban Loaiza denies dealing cocaine," 14 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'smuggle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.