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
Once bound for the thriving black market, these cactuses are now contraband.
—
John Leos, AZCentral.com, 26 Sep. 2025
Since 2020, the Milwaukee County Jail has recorded 175 contraband incidents and administered Narcan 50 times, according to a report from the county's judiciary, law enforcement and general services committee.
—Vanessa Swales, jsonline.com, 16 Sep. 2025
At a talk at the Arkansas Attorney General’s office in Little Rock, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said that reclassifying contraband cellphones as unauthorized could sidestep the rule.
—Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 6 Sep. 2025
Commissioners also said Erik Menendez's use of contraband cellphones was a factor in the denial.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contraband
John Leos, AZCentral.com, 26 Sep. 2025
Since 2020, the Milwaukee County Jail has recorded 175 contraband incidents and administered Narcan 50 times, according to a report from the county's judiciary, law enforcement and general services committee.
—Vanessa Swales, jsonline.com, 16 Sep. 2025
At a talk at the Arkansas Attorney General’s office in Little Rock, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said that reclassifying contraband cellphones as unauthorized could sidestep the rule.
—Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 6 Sep. 2025
Commissioners also said Erik Menendez's use of contraband cellphones was a factor in the denial.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contraband
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contraband
Adjective
-
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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But those state actions are now unauthorized because of the Supreme Court order, the USDA wrote in guidance released on Saturday.—
Leah Douglas,
USA Today,
9 Nov. 2025
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The somber discussion followed discussions surrounding poor internal controls that have resulted in tens of millions of dollars spent on unauthorized contracts and unbudgeted expenses.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Laboratory tests of smuggled samples taken from late Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny show that he was poisoned when he was imprisoned in a Siberian penal colony, his widow Yulia Navalnaya has said.—
Anna Chernova,
CNN Money,
17 Sep. 2025
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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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An ancient forbidden kingdom nestled by the Tibetan Plateau and some of the tallest peaks in the world, Mustang didn’t allow tourists until 1992 and formally joined the contemporary Federation of Nepal in 2008.—
Joe Baur,
Outside,
31 Oct. 2025
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In one study, University of Pennsylvania researchers manipulated LLMs into giving forbidden responses by applying persuasion techniques effective on humans.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Recent investigations like OpenLux and the 2017 series Panama Papers, however, reveal how bad actors also sometimes use these havens to launder illicit cash and evade taxes.—
Deena Sabry,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
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Sliwa, the Republican nominee, told Fox News Digital that a Mamdani mayoralty would expand prostitution and trafficking across the city and cement Roosevelt Avenue’s reputation as a red-light corridor of illicit activity and violence.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contraband.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contraband. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.
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