BOOTLEGS Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

bootlegs 1 of 2

noun

Definition of bootlegs next

plural of bootleg

as in alcohols

illegally produced liquor getting caught with bootleg during Prohibition could have resulted in a jail sentence

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bootlegs

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of bootleg

as in black-markets

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of bootlegs

Noun

While bootlegs have been out there for decades, the Petty estate is finally making the concert officially available, with audio restoration done by Ryan Ulyate. —

Chris Willman, Variety, 4 Feb. 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 But for a few months in 1975, all four members worked in unison to create a masterpiece and perform concerts that became legendary, thanks to bootlegs like the one here. —

Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 11 Dec. 2025 Mariota looked more comfortable than either Patrick Mahomes or Dak Prescott ever looked against VJ's defense, thanks to either getting the ball out super quick -- screens, bootlegs — or by just taking off with the rock and taking his chances. —

Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 1 Dec. 2025 In the six years since its debut, the show has become an internet sensation, with viewers online embracing the musical's campy humor, jaw-dropping stage illusions and sing-along score, with bootlegs of the production going viral on TikTok and YouTube. —

Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025 And that means passing up scramble lanes on bootlegs and dirting the ball in the face of free rushers. —

Nate Atkins, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025 Now, people who don’t have a technical understanding, there might be bootlegs, but that is scratchy stuff with not very good sound. —

Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bootlegs

Noun

That's the message first responders want to send to teens and their parents, urging the latter to have conversations with their children about flammable items like alcohols, nail polish removers and hair sprays.

— Lauren Linder, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026
Three of the seven sugar substitutes involved in the study—erythritol, sorbitol, and xylitol—belong to a category known as sugar alcohols, artificial sweeteners that can be found in sweet treats like candy, ice cream, baked goods, and protein bars (and can cause digestive symptoms), for example.

— Caroline Tien, SELF, 27 Feb. 2026