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
Charles Trepany, USA Today, 18 June 2025
Many made their own, reused them, or bought them at black-market prices.
—Will Ripley, CNN Money, 18 June 2025
Ted Johnson, Deadline, 2 June 2025
But unlike in Colorado or California, recreational users in Texas will be largely out of luck — or will turn to the black market, state Democrats argued.
—Saul Elbein, The Hill, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for black-market
Noun
Yikes: People are getting black-market silicone injected into their butts.
—Charles Trepany, USA Today, 18 June 2025
Many made their own, reused them, or bought them at black-market prices.
—Will Ripley, CNN Money, 18 June 2025
Verb
He was featured in Marquardt’s 2021 report on the exorbitant fees being demanded on the black market to evacuate Afghans during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 2 June 2025
But unlike in Colorado or California, recreational users in Texas will be largely out of luck — or will turn to the black market, state Democrats argued.
—Saul Elbein, The Hill, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for black-market
Recent Examples of Synonyms for black-market
Noun
-
The Nabataeans were an incredibly skilled trading tribe in the spice trade.—
Alex Ledsom,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
-
Waller is coming out of retirement to play for the Miami Dolphins, who made a trade with the New York Giants to get him in the building before training camp, according to multiple reports Tuesday.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
1 July 2025
Verb
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On June 1, using hundreds of short-range one-way attack drones smuggled deep into Russian territory, Ukraine was able to significantly damage or destroy at least 11 Russian strategic bombers as part of its Operation Spider’s Web.—
Michael C. Horowitz,
Foreign Affairs,
4 July 2025
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Meanwhile, the Astors, who had amassed a nearly obscene amount of real estate in New York City, became the country’s first multimillionaires by smuggling opium.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
3 July 2025
Noun
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You shouldn’t be worried as long as the filler is FDA-approved, purchased from a legitimate source (not gray market) and injected by a qualified professional.—
Carlos Wolf,
Miami Herald,
19 June 2025
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The city is moving aggressively to shut down the once-thriving gray market — a matter of public safety, and also essential for the legal medical cannabis industry to thrive.—
Anna Spiegel,
Axios,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The soul has been bartered away in 15-second increments, one TV commercial or finishing move kick-out at a time.—
Oliver Bateman,
The Washington Examiner,
30 May 2025
-
The day before the president’s birthday, the girl and her grandmother head to town with a shopping list of cake ingredients and Lamia’s book bag packed with an assortment of items to sell or barter.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2025
Noun
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The record-breaking flash floods have destroyed homes, businesses, and crippled local infrastructure.—
Nikki McCann Ramirez,
Rolling Stone,
7 July 2025
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His business experience running a music label and a hyper-focus on affordability are the way to do that, Myers said.—
William Melhado
July 7,
Sacbee.com,
7 July 2025
Verb
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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
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In Chicago, as in other major cities, a few high-profile mobsters battled it out for bootlegging supremacy.—
Sarah Holzmann,
Smithsonian Magazine,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
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But the underlying rails that power payments haven’t kept pace with the fluidity of today’s digital marketplaces.—
Paul Marcantonio,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
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Some Nintendo products remained on the site, but they were listed by independent merchants who sell their goods on Amazon’s sprawling online marketplace.—
Glen Luke Flanagan,
Fortune,
30 June 2025
Verb
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While chasing the suspect later in the morning, officers exchanged gunfire with the man and killed him.—
Claudia Levens,
jsonline.com,
8 July 2025
-
The noon Christmas in July event began with a lunch, then residents exchanged gifts during a popular seasonal game called white elephant – where typically low-cost items or interesting things lying around the house are wrapped and put in play.—
Jesse Wright,
Chicago Tribune,
8 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Black-market.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/black-market. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.
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