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
Through initiatives like the State Assistance for Fentanyl Eradication (SAFE) grant program, Florida has taken a sledgehammer to illicit trafficking networks.
—
John Koufos, Sun Sentinel, 2 June 2026
Talcove consults with the government on tracking illicit funds.
—Laura Geller, CBS News, 1 June 2026
Though it’s not dominated by major cartels like the other two host cities, criminal groups are still active there and have their hand in a range of illicit activities, according to Víctor Manuel Sánchez Valdés, researcher at the Autonomous University of Coahuila.
—Michael Rios, CNN Money, 31 May 2026
Proxy services are often used for illicit or unethical purposes such as performing DDoS attacks, running botnet command-and-control servers, operating phishing operations, and scraping website content.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for illicit
John Koufos, Sun Sentinel, 2 June 2026
Talcove consults with the government on tracking illicit funds.
—Laura Geller, CBS News, 1 June 2026
Though it’s not dominated by major cartels like the other two host cities, criminal groups are still active there and have their hand in a range of illicit activities, according to Víctor Manuel Sánchez Valdés, researcher at the Autonomous University of Coahuila.
—Michael Rios, CNN Money, 31 May 2026
Proxy services are often used for illicit or unethical purposes such as performing DDoS attacks, running botnet command-and-control servers, operating phishing operations, and scraping website content.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for illicit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illicit
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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Multiple lawsuits from advocacy groups, Capitol police officers and others call the program unlawful and corrupt, as Congress presses acting Atty.—
Michael Kunzelman,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
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Kelly's mother, Barbara Renner, is charged with manslaughter, and her daughter, Elyssa Seymore, is charged with unlawful imprisonment.—
Mahsa Saeidi,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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On the other side, De la Espriella has promised to fiercely crack down on criminal groups and build 10 megaprisons, following in a similar vein as El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, in his war on gangs, which has been beset by abuses, according to findings by human rights groups.—
Megan Janetsky,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) previously said Roberts had a criminal history that included a narcotics possession offense.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Illicit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illicit. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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