as in prohibited
not legally permissible to possess, import, or export
The customs agents searched the shipping containers for contraband items.
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contraband
Adjective
-
The list of prohibited and restricted items, as found on the CBP website, includes alcohol, biological materials, firearms, food and produce such as fruits and vegetables, soil, wildlife, fish, and gold, among other items.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Feb. 2025 -
For example, Customs and Border Protection in the United States maintains a list of prohibited and restricted items for anyone entering the US and links to other departments if permits are required.—
Erica Kasper,
WIRED,
21 Aug. 2024
Adjective
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The company detected unauthorized third-party access to internal U.S. business systems on Nov. 6.—
Catherine Muccigrosso,
Charlotte Observer,
1 July 2025
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Virtual events can open the door to serious threats like data breaches, phishing attacks and unauthorized access to proprietary content.—
Michele Dobnikar,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
Adjective
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Benny and the Forbidden Garden, a 28-page book conceptualized and written by high-schoolers on the Placer County Youth Commission, follows a bunny who starts school and encounters a forbidden garden lush with intoxicating flowers.—
Calista Oetama,
Sacbee.com,
16 June 2025
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Her investigation reveals forbidden rituals and buried wartime secrets connected to a sealed cave, with supernatural forces closing in around her.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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Behind the tinted glass of these gateways to the illicit economy, the merchandise tells its own story.—
Edgar Domenech,
Sun Sentinel,
18 June 2025
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The coordinated effort focused on five hotspots in Fort Worth where violent crime, fueled by the trafficking of illicit drugs and firearms, has flared.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 June 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Contraband.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contraband. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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