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
Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 22 Jan. 2026
His group and others have worked for several years to smuggle Starlink terminals into the country, with a thriving black market for them.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 16 Jan. 2026
Max Cunningham, Fortune, 14 Dec. 2025
This wasn’t the first time Moore has been candid about aging, having been especially vocal about it during the press tour for The Substance, a 2024 horror film about a fading celebrity who uses a black-market drug to create a younger, more perfect version of herself.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 29 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for black market
Noun
China wants to reduce reliance on US tech, but Chinese companies are hungry for the superior Nvidia products, with some considering sourcing H200s from the black market.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 22 Jan. 2026
His group and others have worked for several years to smuggle Starlink terminals into the country, with a thriving black market for them.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 16 Jan. 2026
Verb
Government has a responsibility to keep black-market and counterfeit pouches out of consumers’ hands.
—Max Cunningham, Fortune, 14 Dec. 2025
This wasn’t the first time Moore has been candid about aging, having been especially vocal about it during the press tour for The Substance, a 2024 horror film about a fading celebrity who uses a black-market drug to create a younger, more perfect version of herself.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 29 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for black market
Recent Examples of Synonyms for black market
Noun
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Beijing has spent decades growing its trade ties and bankrolling projects in the region, to boost transportation links and cut energy costs – cementing its own influence along the way.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
31 Jan. 2026
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At the same time, Plummer noted that cotton producers remain exposed to trade disputes and international competition that often require legislative responses beyond insurance programs.—
Stephen Martin,
Oklahoma Watch,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Nine people are facing federal charges after allegedly orchestrating an elaborate multi-state scheme to fraudulently purchase firearms and smuggle the weapons into Mexico.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
4 Feb. 2026
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Until the Red Wings make the playoffs and fans start smuggling dead cephalopods into Little Caesars Arena, the rats are king.—
Sean Gentille,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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But the size of the gray market may be fundamentally at odds with its viability.—
Sarah Zhang,
The Atlantic,
23 Dec. 2025
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While marketing software through Telegram isn’t inherently nefarious, researchers say that Haotian’s customer base has increasingly skewed toward scammers who already seek out information about an array of gray market services on the messaging app.—
Matt Burgess,
Wired News,
18 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The Cleveland Fed reported that some businesses, now that the worst of the volatility seems to have settled, are now managing to barter down prices.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
15 Jan. 2026
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About 40 minutes into the film, Linda makes the fatal mistake of bartering with her daughter outside the treatment facility.—
Angelica Jade Bastién,
Vulture,
19 Dec. 2025
Noun
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When Leo breaks his leg and Pia is allowed into the wider world to take over his shady delivery business, Pia begins to ask questions about her family’s past and the secrets her father may be hiding.—
Caroline Carlson,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
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By and large, business figures have no incentive to flame tensions.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
2 Feb. 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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According to a 2025 market analysis conducted by OfferUp, a mobile marketplace app, 69% of shoppers turn to secondhand when the economy gets shaky.—
Mari Sato The Dallas Morning News,
Arkansas Online,
1 Feb. 2026
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That could be one takeaway from Sweden’s Göteborg Film Festival, Scandinavia’s biggest film-TV event, which wrapped Saturday after five days of vibrant discussion and dealing at its international marketplaces, the Nordic Film Market and TV Drama Vision.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Prosecutors allege the defendants sold meal packs intended for vulnerable families overseas and exchanged millions in benefits for cash.—
Jennifer Nassour,
Boston Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
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Other local volunteers come by regularly to bring him coffee and baked goods, or to exchange news.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Black market.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/black%20market. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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