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
The same deficiencies cited in contraband cases in the mid-2010s continue to appear in inspections a decade later.
—
Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Their world inside Parchman was defined by regulation of contraband items, the work they were told to do, conflicts with other inmates, and the corruption and neglect of the prison administrators.
—Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026
Another witness in the trial was locked up in MDC Brooklyn when an inmate handed him a contraband cell phone in January 2024.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2026
Carr's office cited several Georgia cases, including one in Tattnall County where an incarcerated gang leader used a contraband phone to order a hit that killed an 88-year-old veteran.
—Christopher Harris, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contraband
Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Their world inside Parchman was defined by regulation of contraband items, the work they were told to do, conflicts with other inmates, and the corruption and neglect of the prison administrators.
—Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026
Another witness in the trial was locked up in MDC Brooklyn when an inmate handed him a contraband cell phone in January 2024.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2026
Carr's office cited several Georgia cases, including one in Tattnall County where an incarcerated gang leader used a contraband phone to order a hit that killed an 88-year-old veteran.
—Christopher Harris, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
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
-
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
-
This can include help to contact creditors, placing fraud alerts, disputing unauthorized accounts and preparing documentation to recover your identity.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Peters, 70, is serving time for election interference for allowing unauthorized access to voting machines following the 2020 presidential election.—
Jesse Sarles,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
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
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Writs of assistance were open‑ended search warrants granted to British customs officers to search for smuggled goods; they were not limited by time, person, or location, and no probable cause was required.—
Amanda Cats-Baril,
Twin Cities,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
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
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Women, whether secular or religious, remain forbidden to read, write or tell stories.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Maxwell told Blanche during the two-day interview there was no client list, no blackmail scheme and, to her knowledge, no high-profile Epstein associates who committed illicit acts in connection with his crimes.—
Ivan Pereira,
ABC News,
2 Apr. 2026
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Jordan dissolved its local chapter this year following arrests authorities said were linked to illicit weapons activity.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contraband.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contraband. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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