CONTRABAND Synonyms: 47 Similar and Opposite Words

contraband

adjective

Definition of contraband

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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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 contraband Officers searched the restroom and found a package of contraband drugs, including K2, high-potency THC wax and suboxone strips. — Dejanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026 His current release date is scheduled for March 2028, a recent change after he was reportedly caught using a contraband cell phone to scroll on Instagram. — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2026 Members of the board questioned the Menendez brothers during their hearing last year about violating prison rules, including using contraband cellphones. — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026 Faced with this churn – as well as staffing, security and contraband-control concerns – many jails invest little in family visitation. — Jillian Turanovic, The Conversation, 10 Aug. 2026 He was sentenced 20 years for the contraband conviction and six months for the assault and battery, all to be served concurrently. — Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 29 July 2026 The contraband sale of oil and gasoline has become a multibillion-dollar business in Mexico, with the government accusing crime groups of working hand-in-glove with corrupt officials and businesses. — Mary Beth Sheridan, CNN Money, 25 July 2026 The indictment also charges four current and former federal inmates accused of coordinating drops using contraband cellphones. — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 24 June 2026 The Australian government announced a recent contraband haul that would make most peoples' skin crawl. — Drew Pittock, USA Today, 7 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for contraband

Adjective

Fortunately, transparency logs account for much of that failure, but this measure requires parties to actively monitor massive feeds and works only after unauthorized certificates have been issued.

— Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 20 Oct. 2026
Police also reported no evidence of unauthorized access to department systems or compromised police data.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of unauthorized

Adjective

But Rankin does mention a thuggish figure named Kodama Yoshio, who worked for Japanese spy agencies in China while trading in narcotics and smuggled goods.

— Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of smuggled

Adjective

Their alternating stories portray a Europe that exploits gifted children, while rigid class and gender expectations leave both protagonists struggling to pursue forbidden ambitions.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
As a forbidden attraction grows between the two men, tragedy unleashes supernatural forces upon their deeply religious community.

— Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of forbidden

Adjective

So far, the most plausible driver of recent declines in overdose deaths is a change in the illicit drug supply.

— J. Travis Donahoe, STAT, 23 Oct. 2026
But how and through whom the money flowed into the Alpha account revealed that it was intended to remain secret, more akin to a covert and illicit scheme, given that it was managed in part by a senior advisor to the president of the United States.

— Matthew Cole, Vanity Fair, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of illicit

Browse Nearby Words

contra

contraband

contrabandist

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“Contraband.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contraband. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of contraband

adjective

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