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
In fall 2023, the Sheriff’s Office investigated a spate of overdose inmate deaths, then arrested several staffers tied to Avid Healthcare Services, a health care contractor, for smuggling drugs into the jail in exchange for money.
—
Theresa Clift, Sacbee.com, 10 Feb. 2026
Saudi Arabi accused the UAE of supporting the separatists, and smuggling the STC leader, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, who is wanted for treason, out of Yemen and flying him to Abu Dhabi.
—Arkansas Online, 8 Feb. 2026
More than a dozen people, including Israeli reserve soldiers, face charges of profiting from the Israel-Hamas war by smuggling goods that could benefit Hamas.
—Julia Frankel, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Iran seizes oil tankers Iran seized two foreign oil tankers in the Persian Gulf on Thursday, state television reported, claiming the vessels had been smuggling fuel.
—Boston Herald Wire Services, Boston Herald, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for smuggle
Theresa Clift, Sacbee.com, 10 Feb. 2026
Saudi Arabi accused the UAE of supporting the separatists, and smuggling the STC leader, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, who is wanted for treason, out of Yemen and flying him to Abu Dhabi.
—Arkansas Online, 8 Feb. 2026
More than a dozen people, including Israeli reserve soldiers, face charges of profiting from the Israel-Hamas war by smuggling goods that could benefit Hamas.
—Julia Frankel, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Iran seizes oil tankers Iran seized two foreign oil tankers in the Persian Gulf on Thursday, state television reported, claiming the vessels had been smuggling fuel.
—Boston Herald Wire Services, Boston Herald, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for smuggle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smuggle
Verb
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Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.—
USA Today staff,
USA Today,
17 Feb. 2026
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Jack Huston plays Jewish prince Judah Ben-Hur, who is betrayed to the Romans by his adopted brother, Messala (Toby Kebbell), and sold into slavery and then returns years to Jerusalem seeking revenge.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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To further analyze them, the researchers used electron microscopy, which provided precise information on how these elements were distributed within the electrode and on its surface topography.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Feb. 2026
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According to a report from Axios, Disney sent a cease-and-desist letter Friday to ByteDance, accusing the company of distributing and reproducing its intellectual property through the new AI tool without permission.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Czech Republic has since stopped buying Russian oil, but Hungary and Slovakia used the EU’s exemption to deepen their dependence.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
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Everybody buys groceries, and everyone has felt the increase in costs over the last few years.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And then there are the companies that supply equipment to the electric grid – Eaton and GE Vernova – and the ones that turn fuel into electricity – again, GE Vernova, hence why that’s a good company to own.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
15 Feb. 2026
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But any legal liability exposure was capped at $350 million by Congress in November 2001 and the World Trade Center Captive Insurance Company, which is controlled by City Hall, still has hundreds of millions dollars supplied by the feds to pay out claims.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smuggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smuggle. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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