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
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Recent Examples of bootleg
A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 11 Jan. 2026
Her source material is a pair of cassette tapes recorded by Dueñez in the ’90s, two of a series of bootlegs that the sonidero and his wife sold at the flea market along the Puente del Papa, a bridge connecting Monterrey’s prosperous city center with its mountainside slums.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 7 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
Rather than pick through the dense, lush fields of Grateful Dead and solo band bootleg live concert tapes that could fill a football stadium, Variety’s top musical moments of Weir’s focus on a dreamy collection of tracks from the studio recordings.
—A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 11 Jan. 2026
Her source material is a pair of cassette tapes recorded by Dueñez in the ’90s, two of a series of bootlegs that the sonidero and his wife sold at the flea market along the Puente del Papa, a bridge connecting Monterrey’s prosperous city center with its mountainside slums.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 7 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
-
It was found that in Illinois, there is no legal time limit for when a driver has to take an alcohol test after a crash.—
Megan De Mar,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
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Officers arrived to find a large group of people were watching over a pen holding cash and drinking alcohol in the backyard where roosters were engaged in battle while a referee monitored the contest, the Sheriff's Office said.—
Scott Butler,
Florida Times-Union,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Drivers cruising on Kansas City’s Main Street will need to steer clear of the new transit-only lanes or face a fine, as the city puts the brakes on unauthorized cars in streetcar and bus lanes.—
Robert A. Cronkleton,
Kansas City Star,
29 Jan. 2026
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Federal law also bars unauthorized immigrants from owning firearms — a rule that withstood a recent challenge in federal court.—
Paul Kiefer,
jsonline.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Joel, played by Pedro Pascal, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
26 Jan. 2026
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The family moved to what became the Krakow ghetto, and Zamczyk and other children would find ways to get out under the ghetto walls and smuggle food back to their families.—
Sal Pizarro,
Mercury News,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Don’t miss the Espresso Martini and Tonic, a bubbly way to start the evening, or the Phony Negroni for those going booze-free.—
Melinda Sheckells,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Make sure to let your panna cotta base cool fully before adding the booze.—
Jesse Szewczyk,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
-
Ji Seon flaunts her ring and announces drinks are on her today, which brings up the mood again.—
Hannah Abraham,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Other drink additions appealing to health-conscious customers include a new chai latte that lets customers customize the sweetness level and global flavors like ube and lavender.—
Jordan Valinsky,
CNN Money,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
This has led to fencing being put up to stop the cats from entering the highway lanes.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Environmentalists argued that these methods, which include better fencing for farm animals and the use of rubber bullets, bean bags and pyrotechnics to frighten predators away, should be enough.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Fans in southern Ohio and northern Kentucky haven’t been this excited since the invention of moonshine.—
Kevin Cusick,
Twin Cities,
5 Dec. 2025
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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 2 Feb. 2026.
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