as in alcohol
illegally produced liquor
getting caught with bootleg during Prohibition could have resulted in a jail sentence
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in unauthorized
made or sold illegally
During the Prohibition era, many people made their own bootleg whiskey. He was arrested for selling bootleg copies of the album.
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in to smuggle
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of bootleg
Andrew Greif, NBC news, 26 Jan. 2026
One of their few tendencies was playing from a five-man front on early downs and playing man coverage behind it, a way to force an overmatched O-line to block 1-on-1 and combat the Texans' bootleg play-action passes.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 20 Jan. 2026
Al Shipley, SPIN, 25 Dec. 2024
The quarterback can bootleg in and out of the perimeter of cameras, as the testing aims to simulate as many football movements as possible.
—Jourdan Rodrigue, The Athletic, 27 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for bootleg
Noun
Two plays after that, on second and 7, Fox broadcaster Tom Brady expressed surprise that Seattle was putting the ball in Darnold's hands to pass on a bootleg play rather than run the ball, to try to run out the clock.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 26 Jan. 2026
One of their few tendencies was playing from a five-man front on early downs and playing man coverage behind it, a way to force an overmatched O-line to block 1-on-1 and combat the Texans' bootleg play-action passes.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 20 Jan. 2026
Verb
Living in Woodstock, New York, Dylan spent a lot of time in nearby Saugerties at the Band’s famous Big Pink house, recording dozens of songs that were heavily bootlegged and sometimes sent to other artists to record.
—Al Shipley, SPIN, 25 Dec. 2024
The quarterback can bootleg in and out of the perimeter of cameras, as the testing aims to simulate as many football movements as possible.
—Jourdan Rodrigue, The Athletic, 27 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for bootleg
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bootleg
Noun
-
To be considered milk chocolate, products must contain at least 10% chocolate liquor, which is a paste made from ground cocoa beans and contains no alcohol.—
Dee-Ann Durbin,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
-
There are a few commonalities between the two, chiefly the abundance of alcohol consumption, the significance of costuming and the presence of king cake.—
Carlie Procell,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The uncredited vocals drew similarities to British singer Jorja Smith, prompting speculation that the recording was an unauthorized deepfake.—
Xander Zellner,
Billboard,
17 Feb. 2026
-
These include unauthorized crossovers, such as inserting real-world figures like Elon Musk into the Squid Game environment.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Three of the guns used in the rampage were smuggled illegally from Maine.—
Max Saltman,
CNN Money,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Tim Raymond, acting assistant special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations in Lubbock, said the case highlights the broader dangers tied to smuggling operations.—
Bradford Betz,
FOXNews.com,
12 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom is introducing a bill that would ban selling booze to repeat DUI offenders.—
James Taylor,
CBS News,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Significantly, the booze precedes the infant in that sentence.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The rights to his image are managed by CMG Worldwide, which specializes in celebrities merchandising.—
Paul Flahive,
Austin American Statesman,
30 Jan. 2026
-
No matter how they're merchandised, take notice of these home staples.—
Jennifer Prince,
Southern Living,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Within a few blocks of the hotel are also many spots worthy of grabbing a tasty bite or a drink—Bamboo Sushi, Radio Room, and Walter French's, to name a few.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 Feb. 2026
-
That’s all those people paying for tickets, travel, merchandise, programmes, fanzines, food, hotel rooms, drinks and more.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In the year since the property has been vacant, and fenced off, 27 fires have gutted or scorched empty units, located between Truman Road and 18th Street, Woodland and Brooklyn avenues.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Alternative plans to control the island's mule deer population included fencing them in, relocating the deer, introducing predators and sterilization.—
Julie Sharp,
CBS News,
2 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Fans in southern Ohio and northern Kentucky haven’t been this excited since the invention of moonshine.—
Kevin Cusick,
Twin Cities,
5 Dec. 2025
-
In his office at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Wheeler kept several jars of brownish-red homemade moonshine that were natural conversation pieces when the talk turned to NASCAR’s roots.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bootleg.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bootleg. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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