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
Commissioners also said Erik Menendez's use of contraband cellphones was a factor in the denial.
—
Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2025
The moderate risk increase came after each report found that Erik and Lyle, in recent months, had been cited for breaking prison rules for contraband violations, specifically the possession of cell phones.
—Stepheny Price , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 23 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contraband
Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2025
The moderate risk increase came after each report found that Erik and Lyle, in recent months, had been cited for breaking prison rules for contraband violations, specifically the possession of cell phones.
—Stepheny Price , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 23 Aug. 2025
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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Citing a 1993 Florida law statute and a Miami Dade County ordinance, Fernandez said his office will revoke or refuse to renew local business tax receipts, formerly known as occupational licenses, for people or entities engaging in unauthorized business activities with Cuba.—
Nora Gamez Torres,
Miami Herald,
6 Sep. 2025
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American social media influencer Ethan Guo has been released from a Chilean military base in Antarctica after spending two months in detention following an unauthorized landing.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Inevitably, a few students were surreptitiously checking smuggled screens that day.—
Christopher Bonanos,
Curbed,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Describing the damping precisely meant accidentally allowing forbidden precision in position or momentum.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Aug. 2025
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Anthropic has introduced weekly rate limits for its Claude chatbot focused on curbing excessive—and forbidden—usage of Claude Code.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
29 July 2025
Adjective
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For Missouri, 2022 was such a deadly year — 43 children under the age of 18 died from the illicit drug — that former DSS director Robert Knodell created the Fentanyl Case Review Subcommittee, which was a panel of experts who studied those cases.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
7 Sep. 2025
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Despite being legal, the illicit market is thriving, with only 38% of the cannabis consumed in California coming from licensed growers, according to a 2024 report released by the state Department of Cannabis Control.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contraband.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contraband. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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