as in illegal
contrary to or forbidden by law
had a long history of using illicit drugs
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Recent Examples of illicit
The operation allegedly generated more than $21.6 million in illicit proceeds.
—
Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 6 June 2025
Wen: Parents should speak with their children about the danger of counterfeit and illicit drugs.
—Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 5 June 2025
Instead of calling for an expansive probe, however, the president identified just one potential target: ActBlue, the Democrats’ online fundraising juggernaut, which has acknowledged receiving over 200 potentially illicit contributions last year from foreign internet addresses.
—Brian Slodysko, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2025
Wetherell wrote that Trump's justification for the tariffs -- both stemming the flow of illicit drugs into the country and resolving a trade imbalance -- is sufficient to satisfy the terms set by Congress.
—Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for illicit
Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 6 June 2025
Wen: Parents should speak with their children about the danger of counterfeit and illicit drugs.
—Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 5 June 2025
Instead of calling for an expansive probe, however, the president identified just one potential target: ActBlue, the Democrats’ online fundraising juggernaut, which has acknowledged receiving over 200 potentially illicit contributions last year from foreign internet addresses.
—Brian Slodysko, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2025
Wetherell wrote that Trump's justification for the tariffs -- both stemming the flow of illicit drugs into the country and resolving a trade imbalance -- is sufficient to satisfy the terms set by Congress.
—Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for illicit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illicit
Adjective
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Official fireworks shows took place over the city, and illegal pyrotechnics lit up the sky everywhere in between.—
Lisa Beebe,
Los Angeles Magazine,
5 July 2017
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Louisville police say anything that goes into the air or explodes is illegal for average citizens.—
James Bruggers,
The Courier-Journal,
5 July 2017
Adjective
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She was convicted in 1995 on nine charges, including conspiracy to remove body parts and unlawful authorization of the removal of eyes, hearts, lungs and brains from corpses.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
16 June 2025
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Nonetheless, this latest ruling may embolden such plaintiffs in California and elsewhere to assert unlawful discrimination claims with greater confidence and, perhaps, greater frequency.—
Dan Eaton,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 June 2025
Adjective
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Those interactions with the criminal justice system cast long financial shadows.—
Christian Weller,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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The cases remain in the initial stages of investigation, with no certainty that any criminal charges will be pursued.—
Michael Verdon,
Robb Report,
9 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Illicit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illicit. Accessed 23 Jun. 2025.
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