as in smugglers
a person who imports or exports goods secretly and illegally
a bootlegger of counterfeit electronics
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bootleggers
Working primarily in Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma), Reeves tracked down murderers, thieves, bootleggers and other outlaws across a vast and often dangerous frontier.
—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
6 June 2026
Stock car racing's origins trace back to the Prohibition era when bootleggers raced modified cars.
—
Keith Laing,
USA Today,
23 May 2026
Even the underground tunnels bootleggers used to service the Green Mill during its speakeasy days are still in place.
—
Meena Thiruvengadam,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Apr. 2026
From embracing bootleggers to pulling its catalog from Spotify, Mackenzie explains how the band has tried to protect its creative core while the industry transforms around it.
—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
13 Feb. 2026
Key lime pie has been enjoyed by locals in Key West for over 100 years, which means bootleggers and Ernest Hemingway both (most likely) indulged in the sweet-tart treat.
—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
28 Dec. 2025
No one knows why; no one has a telephone in the rural Blue Ridge Mountains, so John Boy sets out into a winter storm to find his daddy, having various escapades with the quirky residents of their backwoods community—a Black preacher, a pair of old-lady bootleggers, a turkey thief—along the way.
—
Literary Hub,
22 Dec. 2025
The Tunnels story is that Chinese immigrants built a network of tunnels under the city because they were forced to live underground; the tunnels were then used by gangsters and bootleggers, including Al Capone.
—
JSTOR Daily,
20 Oct. 2025
Prohibition also took hold in Indiana during the decade, though bootleggers did pop up across the state.
—
Joe Mutascio,
IndyStar,
17 Oct. 2025
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
6 June 2026
Stock car racing's origins trace back to the Prohibition era when bootleggers raced modified cars.
—
Keith Laing,
USA Today,
23 May 2026
Even the underground tunnels bootleggers used to service the Green Mill during its speakeasy days are still in place.
—
Meena Thiruvengadam,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Apr. 2026
From embracing bootleggers to pulling its catalog from Spotify, Mackenzie explains how the band has tried to protect its creative core while the industry transforms around it.
—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
13 Feb. 2026
Key lime pie has been enjoyed by locals in Key West for over 100 years, which means bootleggers and Ernest Hemingway both (most likely) indulged in the sweet-tart treat.
—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
28 Dec. 2025
No one knows why; no one has a telephone in the rural Blue Ridge Mountains, so John Boy sets out into a winter storm to find his daddy, having various escapades with the quirky residents of their backwoods community—a Black preacher, a pair of old-lady bootleggers, a turkey thief—along the way.
—
Literary Hub,
22 Dec. 2025
The Tunnels story is that Chinese immigrants built a network of tunnels under the city because they were forced to live underground; the tunnels were then used by gangsters and bootleggers, including Al Capone.
—
JSTOR Daily,
20 Oct. 2025
Prohibition also took hold in Indiana during the decade, though bootleggers did pop up across the state.
—
Joe Mutascio,
IndyStar,
17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bootleggers
smugglers
Noun
-
For example, when Rhode Islanders complained about how the British ship Gaspee was attacking their ships without mercy in its hunt for smugglers, the Royal Navy waved away the colonial government.
-
To get there, Sodais climbed mountains in the snow, moved from border to border with the help of smugglers, got captured a dozen times and spent time in jail.
Cite this Entry
“Bootleggers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bootleggers. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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