as in trade
a system through which things are bought and sold illegally
The black market in prescription drugs is thriving. They unloaded the stolen goods on the black market.
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as in to smuggle
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of black market
ABC News, 9 Apr. 2026
Contamination is another big concern with drugs purchased on the gray and black markets, many of them from Chinese manufacturers, as well as whether the contents of those little vials match what their labels say.
—Sarah Todd, STAT, 6 Apr. 2026
Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026
Gambling apologists argue that the recent revelations are proof that new laws are working—offshore sportsbooks and black-market bookies never coordinated with law enforcement to flag suspicious bets the way FanDuel and DraftKings do now.
—Mckay Coppins, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for black market
Noun
The gold mining rush in eastern Cameroon has also led hundreds of children to abandon school to dig for gold, risking their lives at makeshift mines for a dollar’s worth of ore sold on the local black market, according to UNICEF.
—ABC News, 9 Apr. 2026
Contamination is another big concern with drugs purchased on the gray and black markets, many of them from Chinese manufacturers, as well as whether the contents of those little vials match what their labels say.
—Sarah Todd, STAT, 6 Apr. 2026
Verb
According to court records, Gentek sold more than $42 million of black-market HIV drugs to the Boyds.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026
Gambling apologists argue that the recent revelations are proof that new laws are working—offshore sportsbooks and black-market bookies never coordinated with law enforcement to flag suspicious bets the way FanDuel and DraftKings do now.
—Mckay Coppins, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for black market
Recent Examples of Synonyms for black market
Noun
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For a state like Illinois — a global hub for manufacturing and agriculture — these federal trade wars act as a direct anchor on our economy.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Apr. 2026
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The draft As part of an NBA settlement over the Heat not being made fully aware of the gambling investigation into Terry Rozier ahead of the Heat’s January 2024 trade for the guard, the Heat from the Hornets will be receiving Golden State’s second-round pick in June.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Nairobi, KenyaReuters — A Kenyan court on Wednesday ordered a Chinese man to pay a fine of 1 million shillings ($7,746) and gave him a 12-month jail term for trying to smuggle live ants out of the country.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
15 Apr. 2026
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Much of the oil that reached foreign markets was effectively smuggled out, traders and analysts said.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But the group argues the public would be safer if peptides were handled by regulated compounding pharmacies instead of the gray market.—
Anjeanette Damon,
ProPublica,
3 Apr. 2026
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Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway is seeking to prevent American Shaman, the Kansas City company at the forefront of a sprawling gray market, from selling an opioid that’s available at gas stations and smoke shops across the country.—
Jack Harvel,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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At one point his grandfather bartered his watch to get groceries and gas.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
28 Mar. 2026
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Thus, the Campanos wanted Owen dead, but Frank’s long-standing friendship with Nicholas allowed the latter to barter and keep Hannah and Bailey out of the fray so long as Owen stayed away from them.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Large alternative asset managers, with both private credit and private equity businesses, are so far striking a measured tone, acknowledging pockets of stress while emphasizing resilience.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
20 Apr. 2026
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Director Scott Ellis understands all this, and thus the admirably specific physical business and slurred verbosity in his gently outré revival really makes for quite the amusing diversion.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The fact we’re getting bootlegged and people are grabbing our voices and using ’em, rap needs to be taken as serious as any other genre!—
Mackenzie Cummings-Grady,
Billboard,
11 July 2025
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In 1920s Anaheim, the big local issue was bootlegging and Catholics, who were seen as foreigners in what was supposed to be an Anglo-Saxon Protestant country.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Now, the school is feeling some of the same competitive pressure its public school neighbors have been feeling – because, in Cedar Rapids' new, competitive marketplace, its product has gone from shiny and new to questionable and perhaps tainted.—
Cory Turner,
NPR,
19 Apr. 2026
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FanDuel launched its prediction market app, FanDuel Predicts, last year with derivatives marketplace CME Group.—
Clare Duffy,
CNN Money,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And so Lobanov and Stetsenko carried on with their plans, exchanging vows at the Palace of Culture and then heading to a nearby café with their guests to celebrate.—
Erin Clack,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
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Chavez-DeRemer’s husband and father exchanged text messages with young female staff members, according to the newspaper.—
Seung Min Kim,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Black market.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/black%20market. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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