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
John Ramos, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
As the operation grows across the city-wide black market, their ambitions clash with corrupt authorities, rival butchers and a shifting political landscape, pushing the family toward dangerous alliances and violent consequences.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 19 Apr. 2026
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 18 Mar. 2026
The Shelby Township Police Department seized nearly 1,000 pounds of black-market marijuana, weapons and other items while serving a search warrant on March 13, 2026 at a home in the township.
—Paula Wethington, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for black market
Noun
Of course, that only fueled the black market, which didn't have to pay the taxes.
—John Ramos, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
As the operation grows across the city-wide black market, their ambitions clash with corrupt authorities, rival butchers and a shifting political landscape, pushing the family toward dangerous alliances and violent consequences.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 19 Apr. 2026
Verb
Superfakes is about a small-time Chinatown luxury counterfeit dealer who enters a dangerous black-market underworld in order to fund a life of suburban respectability for her family.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 18 Mar. 2026
The Shelby Township Police Department seized nearly 1,000 pounds of black-market marijuana, weapons and other items while serving a search warrant on March 13, 2026 at a home in the township.
—Paula Wethington, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for black market
Recent Examples of Synonyms for black market
Noun
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In September, 2024, moments before the news of the trade that sent Towns to New York, in exchange for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and a first-round draft pick, Towns posted a tweet with three periods—an ellipsis.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
10 May 2026
-
Stewart, who made his major league debut with the Dodgers as a starter in 2016, returned to the club at the trade deadline as a reliever last season in a deal with the Minnesota Twins.—
Doug Padilla,
Oc Register,
10 May 2026
Verb
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The Australian policy of refusing to allow boat arrivals to settle has largely ended people smuggling from Southeast Asian ports in rickety fishing boats that had once thrived.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 May 2026
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Yemen monopolized the coffee trade for around 200 years until Dutch merchants smuggled coffee seeds to Indonesia and began growing plants there.—
Dee-Ann Durbin,
Los Angeles Times,
4 May 2026
Noun
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But, as the NYT notes, though the 14 peptides were technically restricted by the government (meaning compounding pharmacies were not allowed to produce them), consumers could still purchase them via the online gray market and play doctor from the comfort of their kitchen.—
Kara Nesvig,
Allure,
11 May 2026
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And the gray market fad worries him.—
Asaf Elia-Shalev,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Apr. 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
-
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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Eventually, Delta switched the shuttle to one of the main terminals, and in 2021 Spirit moved into the Marine Air Terminal, bringing its bright-yellow livery and ultra-discount business model with it.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
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Chicken rice is a serious business in East and Southeast Asia, and the recipe at this prosaic storefront has a lineage that goes back to the celebrated version introduced in the 1970s at Chatterbox in Singapore.—
Ligaya Mishan,
New York Times,
11 May 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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The most notable sale in April was a 1997 Metal Universe Kobe Bryant Precious Metal Gems card, which was purchased by trading card marketplace Alt in a private deal.—
Benjamin Burrows,
New York Times,
10 May 2026
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And in South Korea, more pet strollers than baby strollers were sold for the first time in 2023, according to the country’s largest online marketplace.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
10 May 2026
Verb
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Something casually exchanged could become strategically useful.—
Tarot.com,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 May 2026
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The Andes virus is a rare variant that can be passed from person to person through significant and intimate close contact such as sharing a bed for an extended period of time or exchanging saliva.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Black market.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/black%20market. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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