as in to sell
to move (people or goods) from one country to another secretly and illegally
They were arrested for smuggling drugs across the border.
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Recent Examples of smuggle
Officials also alleged Galeano had sought to smuggle her teenage children into the country, paying smugglers to do so.
—
Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Listening to Jimmy tell stories about Tennessee Williams, Hemingway’s writing, Captain Tony’s, Shel Silverstein, the characters who lived, fished, dreamed and smuggled there, time dissolved and the mythic Key West came to life.
—Alex Ross, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
American officials say the Chinese government hasn’t done enough to stem the illicit international flow of precursor chemicals for fentanyl, which are then processed into the highly addictive opioid in Mexican labs and smuggled across the border to the United States.
—Janis MacKey Frayer, NBC news, 29 Oct. 2025
This summer, the president has deployed thousands of troops, attack helicopters and warships to the Caribbean to attack fishing boats suspected of smuggling cocaine out of Venezuela.
—Joshua Goodman, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smuggle
Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Listening to Jimmy tell stories about Tennessee Williams, Hemingway’s writing, Captain Tony’s, Shel Silverstein, the characters who lived, fished, dreamed and smuggled there, time dissolved and the mythic Key West came to life.
—Alex Ross, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
American officials say the Chinese government hasn’t done enough to stem the illicit international flow of precursor chemicals for fentanyl, which are then processed into the highly addictive opioid in Mexican labs and smuggled across the border to the United States.
—Janis MacKey Frayer, NBC news, 29 Oct. 2025
This summer, the president has deployed thousands of troops, attack helicopters and warships to the Caribbean to attack fishing boats suspected of smuggling cocaine out of Venezuela.
—Joshua Goodman, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smuggle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smuggle
Verb
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But more than specific features and fixtures, the idea of wellness is becoming a big bathroom selling point.—
Lew Sichelman,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
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Versatile bags are marked down as well, including a nano version of the best-selling Everywhere Belt Bag that’s now half off.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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On Tuesday, Concept One Accessories disclosed a new licensing agreement to design, source, produce and distribute Weatherproof Vintage and Weatherproof adult cold-weather accessories, belts, small leather goods and backpacks.—
David Moin,
Footwear News,
6 Jan. 2026
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Social Security payments are distributed on a certain Wednesday each month depending on the recipient's birthday.—
Maia Pandey,
jsonline.com,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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If this year’s March and June get-togethers were learning exercises — including for the staff after Tuchel began work in January — the next two and the one starting today (Sunday) are all about creating an atmosphere the players and the English public can all buy into.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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Cureate does not warehouse or distribute food products, the company buys purchases the food order and the farmer delivers it to the customer, Bryden said.—
Cristina LaRue,
Arkansas Online,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The mission was to show the flag, explore commercial opportunities – including routes to supply gold-mining operations – and display a little firepower.—
Nathan Hodge,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
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The launches follow Lumus supplying the waveguide used in Meta Ray-Ban Display AR glasses in 2025, a deal that demonstrated both optical performance and mass manufacturability of geometric waveguides.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smuggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smuggle. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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