SMUGGLE Synonyms: 41 Similar and Opposite Words

smuggle

verb

Definition of smuggle

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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of smuggle Some were then smuggled into Israel, but many stayed in Lebanon. — ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026 Ecuadorian authorities have caught people attempting to smuggle iguanas multiple times this year. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2026 It’s based on secret recordings — heard here for the first time — made by Diana, Princess of Wales in 1991, and smuggled out of her home in Kensington Palace. — Emily Longeretta, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026 In 2025, Ukraine smuggled over 100 small drones into Russia in commercial cargo trucks and used them to strike strategic air bases thousands of miles from the border. — Todd J. Stein, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for smuggle

Recent Examples of Synonyms for smuggle

Verb

Her husband started selling his collection of vintage rock band T-shirts online to help make ends meet.

— Amy L. Wong, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
Multiple shellstock tags from prior days were not labeled with the last date the shellfish was sold.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of sell

Verb

The Break Will Not Be Even Once the trigger fires, the productivity break will not distribute evenly across the world.

— Stephen Messer, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
The foundation has raised more than $30,000 to be awarded in scholarships and $26,000 to be distributed to community causes.

— Samantha Bergeson, Time, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of distribute

Verb

Customers filed lawsuits alleging Bacelar was buying dogs on the cheap from breeders, then misrepresenting them as rescues and charging high adoption fees, The Times reported.

— Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
Concurrent with the new building, the museum bought a painting by Chicago native Irving Petlin and a photograph by Dawoud Bey.

— Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of buy

Verb

Poor weather in west Africa, which supplies 70 percent of the world's chocolate, is the main culprit.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2026
In return, Russia has reportedly supplied North Korea with air defenses and electronic warfare capabilities and is considering transferring even more advanced military technology.

— Dan Blumenthal, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of supply

Browse Nearby Words

smug

smuggle

smuggled

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Style

“Smuggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smuggle. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of smuggle

verb

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