smuggle

verb smug·gle \ ˈsmə-gəl \

|Updated on: 17 Jul 2018

Examples: smuggle in a Sentence

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

—

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

Officials said a passenger traveling to Barbados from Miami International Airport tried to get a python onto a flight, but it wasn’t brought on the plane in plain view, it was being smuggled wrapped in nylon, inside a hard drive, WSVN reported.

— natalie dreier, ajc, "Python found inside checked bag, hard drive at Miami airport," 10 July 2018
According to the emergency manager Guditus, people don't realize that — similar to Israel's border with the Gaza Strip — tunnels have been dug under the Mexico/U.S. border that are used to smuggle drugs and for infiltration into the United States.

— josh hasten, Jewish Journal, "U.S. first-responders study methodology in Israel," 3 July 2018
There’s also concern about methadone and Suboxone being misused by prisoners, since they are sometimes smuggled in for purposes of intoxication or self-treatment of withdrawal.

— brian barnett, STAT, "Jails and prisons: the unmanned front in the battle against the opioid epidemic," 2 July 2018
In Reynosa, a migrant hub across the Rio Grande from McAllen, Texas, killings and shootouts are almost daily occurrences as rival drug gangs fight turf wars to control key routes to smuggle drugs and migrants.

— josé de córdoba, WSJ, "Migrants Aren’t an Issue in Mexico’s Presidential Campaign," 26 June 2018
Police believe that the weed was smuggled into Texas from a state where the plant's growth is legal, to be sold in and around Central Texas.

— matthew martinez, star-telegram, "Family business was weed until father and son were pulled over with 49 pounds, Texas cops say | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 4 May 2018
Similar videos have been posted to social media of Latin American men harassing foreign female fans and flight attendants, smuggling liquor into games, as well as making homophobic chants.

— luciana magalhaes and samantha pearson, WSJ, "Bad Behavior by South American World Cup Fans Draws Cries of Foul," 26 June 2018
Two others pleaded guilty to smuggling goods into the U.S., and one other executive to aiding and abetting the altering of country of origin marks, according to their plea agreements filed in court in January.

— joe marusak, charlotteobserver, "Boots said ‘Made in the USA,’ and the military bought thousands. They were from China," 13 June 2018
In recent months, there have been news reports about big rigs smuggling immigrants into the U.S., including a case in Texas involving dozens of people, 10 who died, being transported as cargo in a semi-trailer.

— gene baur, Fortune, "Immigrant Farm Workers Endure Inhumane Conditions. Here’s What We Can Do," 8 June 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.