smuggled; smuggling
ˈsmə-g(ə-)liŋ 
1
: to import or export secretly contrary to the law and especially without paying duties imposed by law
2
: to convey or introduce surreptitiously
: to import or export something in violation of the customs laws
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 on the Web
The horns, smuggled from Angola, were seized, and the Vietnamese national involved was arrested.
—
Real-Time News Team, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
Slightly, meanwhile, targets Joe as his patsy to smuggle a Xenomorph embryo out of Prodigy, still resentful that Wendy’s family is here safely while his mother is far away and being threatened by Morrow.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2025
Instead of freely taking up legal work in Thailand, Sara was smuggled at gunpoint into a scammers’ compound in Myanmar.
—Christine Ro, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Ten minutes from Stowe is Smugglers’ Notch State Park, named for the narrow pass in the Green Mountains through which Vermonters used to smuggle goods from Canada in the 1800s.
—Sophie Friedman, AFAR Media, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smuggle
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Real-Time News Team, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
Slightly, meanwhile, targets Joe as his patsy to smuggle a Xenomorph embryo out of Prodigy, still resentful that Wendy’s family is here safely while his mother is far away and being threatened by Morrow.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2025
Instead of freely taking up legal work in Thailand, Sara was smuggled at gunpoint into a scammers’ compound in Myanmar.
—Christine Ro, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Ten minutes from Stowe is Smugglers’ Notch State Park, named for the narrow pass in the Green Mountains through which Vermonters used to smuggle goods from Canada in the 1800s.
—Sophie Friedman, AFAR Media, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smuggle
Cite this Entry
“Smuggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smuggle. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Legal Definition
smuggle
verb
smug·gle
ˈsmə-gəl
smuggled; smuggling
: to import or export secretly and illegally especially to avoid paying duties or to evade enforcement of laws
smuggle drugs
convicted of smuggling weapons
: to export or import something in violation of customs laws
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