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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Recent Examples of contraband
Bikini bottoms would be full coverage only; thongs were added to a list of contraband items that included alcohol and nonprescription drugs, which were confiscated from Islanders’ suitcases on arrival.
—
Anna Peele, Vulture, 20 May 2026
He was arrested in 2023 for allegedly being involved in a contraband scheme.
—Caroline Silva, AJC.com, 14 May 2026
At the suspect’s residence, investigators found enough contraband Lego pieces to fill two garbage bags.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
The documentary, from filmmakers behind HBO’s The Jinx, was shot over six years on contraband phones by the men who risked their lives to participate in this film, which unearthed over 1,300 deaths of people in custody inside Alabama correctional facilities between 2019 and 2024.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contraband
Anna Peele, Vulture, 20 May 2026
He was arrested in 2023 for allegedly being involved in a contraband scheme.
—Caroline Silva, AJC.com, 14 May 2026
At the suspect’s residence, investigators found enough contraband Lego pieces to fill two garbage bags.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
The documentary, from filmmakers behind HBO’s The Jinx, was shot over six years on contraband phones by the men who risked their lives to participate in this film, which unearthed over 1,300 deaths of people in custody inside Alabama correctional facilities between 2019 and 2024.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contraband
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contraband
Adjective
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There is, however, room for questions about where the line between prohibited and acceptable political involvement will fall in practice.—
BrieAnna J. Frank,
USA Today,
11 July 2025
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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
Adjective
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Sawyer got a tip about an exploit in Vision Media’s network that was being used to gain unauthorized access.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
4 June 2026
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These safeguards can prevent unauthorized logins to your account.—
Rebecca Safier,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
Adjective
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The smuggled animals, which were imported from both Hong Kong and Mexico without permits, included Mexican beaded lizards, Mexican box turtles and Yucatan box turtles and baby crocodiles, prosecutors said.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
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Lang calls Atterton, who’s in his prison cell with a smuggled phone, to tell him the job is done and that both Bailey-Brown and Sam have been terminated.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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In a discussion that Padilla started about a secret Groundlings show for gross-out comedy, Palmer summoned the ancient name of one of the forbidden Millennial texts.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
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Less than an hour’s drive from the holiday markets, on the way to Salla and its forbidden frontier, hundreds of Finnish soldiers are training to repel any future Russian invasion.—
Liam Denning,
Bloomberg,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The goal of all this havoc is not to destroy democracy, according to Vergara—though that might be a welcome side effect, to some—but to torpedo the rule of law and thereby protect illicit financial gains.—
Daniel Alarcón,
New Yorker,
4 June 2026
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Barred from filming inside, the documentarians turned to activist inmates who documented incidents on illicit cellphones in an attempt to bring attention to the inhumane conditions.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contraband.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contraband. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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