as in contraband
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as in sold
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 smuggled
Barry Levitt, Time, 4 Mar. 2026
Writs of assistance were open‑ended search warrants granted to British customs officers to search for smuggled goods; they were not limited by time, person, or location, and no probable cause was required.
—Amanda Cats-Baril, Twin Cities, 4 Mar. 2026
The smuggled fungus, Fusarium graminearum, can cause billions in crop losses and is harmful to humans and livestock.
—Tresa Baldas, Freep.com, 13 Nov. 2025
Laboratory tests of smuggled samples taken from late Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny show that he was poisoned when he was imprisoned in a Siberian penal colony, his widow Yulia Navalnaya has said.
—Anna Chernova, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2025
Inevitably, a few students were surreptitiously checking smuggled screens that day.
—Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 5 Sep. 2025
Han Ong, New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2026
Priceless Sudanese artifacts were put up for sale on eBay after being smuggled out of the country, according to a report from the French news agency Agence France-Presse.
—Eissa Dafallah, NBC news, 8 Mar. 2026
Prosecutors say that in 2024, Renoj-Matul and Mejia-Chaj held hostage two Guatemalan nationals smuggled into the United States who had not paid smuggling fees.
—City News Service, Daily News, 8 Mar. 2026
Yeah, he got smuggled out of China and brought to America.
—Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2026
Each immigrant was smuggled into the United States for a fee ranging between $15,000 to $18,000.
—Julie Sharp, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026
This emerald diadem, a favorite of the late monarch’s, was reportedly smuggled out of Russia during the Russian Revolution in 1917 and sold to Queen Mary (Elizabeth’s grandmother) in 1921, per the RCT.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 3 Mar. 2026
The artifacts were returned under a 2020 agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the family of the late Douglas Latchford, an art collector and dealer who is blamed for having had the items smuggled out of Cambodia.
—ABC News, 27 Feb. 2026
Guns had already been smuggled into the Stammheim prison and hidden in the cells of the RAF leaders.
—Jason Burke, Time, 27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
Lang calls Atterton, who’s in his prison cell with a smuggled phone, to tell him the job is done and that both Bailey-Brown and Sam have been terminated.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 4 Mar. 2026
Writs of assistance were open‑ended search warrants granted to British customs officers to search for smuggled goods; they were not limited by time, person, or location, and no probable cause was required.
—Amanda Cats-Baril, Twin Cities, 4 Mar. 2026
The smuggled fungus, Fusarium graminearum, can cause billions in crop losses and is harmful to humans and livestock.
—Tresa Baldas, Freep.com, 13 Nov. 2025
Laboratory tests of smuggled samples taken from late Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny show that he was poisoned when he was imprisoned in a Siberian penal colony, his widow Yulia Navalnaya has said.
—Anna Chernova, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2025
Inevitably, a few students were surreptitiously checking smuggled screens that day.
—Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
It had supposedly been made in the nineteen-forties, for an Italian countess or an English lady, then scrapped, and afterward either smuggled out of the workroom by a starry-eyed seamstress or, with the atelier head’s approval, given to one of the in-house models.
—Han Ong, New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2026
Priceless Sudanese artifacts were put up for sale on eBay after being smuggled out of the country, according to a report from the French news agency Agence France-Presse.
—Eissa Dafallah, NBC news, 8 Mar. 2026
Prosecutors say that in 2024, Renoj-Matul and Mejia-Chaj held hostage two Guatemalan nationals smuggled into the United States who had not paid smuggling fees.
—City News Service, Daily News, 8 Mar. 2026
Yeah, he got smuggled out of China and brought to America.
—Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2026
Each immigrant was smuggled into the United States for a fee ranging between $15,000 to $18,000.
—Julie Sharp, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026
This emerald diadem, a favorite of the late monarch’s, was reportedly smuggled out of Russia during the Russian Revolution in 1917 and sold to Queen Mary (Elizabeth’s grandmother) in 1921, per the RCT.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 3 Mar. 2026
The artifacts were returned under a 2020 agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the family of the late Douglas Latchford, an art collector and dealer who is blamed for having had the items smuggled out of Cambodia.
—ABC News, 27 Feb. 2026
Guns had already been smuggled into the Stammheim prison and hidden in the cells of the RAF leaders.
—Jason Burke, Time, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smuggled
Adjective
-
The documentary, from filmmakers behind HBO’s The Jinx, was shot over six years on contraband phones by the men who risked their lives to participate in this film, which unearthed over 1,300 deaths of people in custody inside Alabama correctional facilities between 2019 and 2024.—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
11 Mar. 2026
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While serving his sentence for the killing of Hernandez, Reed used a contraband cellphone to livestream video of himself beating up a cellmate in March 2021, authorities have said.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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As part of paying down debt, Krispy Kreme sold its remaining stake in Insomnia Cookies for $75 million last year.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Mar. 2026
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Trump is also not sold on any deal that does not include an unrelated overhaul of federal elections known as the SAVE America Act.—
Barbara Sprunt,
NPR,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Lipps was arrested in mid-July at her home after the Cass County State’s Attorney’s Office charged her with North Dakota felony counts of theft and unauthorized use of personal identifying information.—
April Baumgarten,
Twin Cities,
26 Mar. 2026
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The central bank originally imposed the limitations due to governance and control issues at Wells, including employees opening millions of unauthorized accounts to meet work-performance quotas.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Organizers have distributed petition sheets to more than 100 volunteers and are asking that those volunteers turn in their pages to a group leader by Sunday.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
24 Mar. 2026
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The international aid is usually distributed free of charge by the state through the network of stores that Cubans use to buy food, except in cases where a donor specifies that a shipment should have a specific destination, such as medicine for hospitals.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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In the complaint, the Board asked the court for a declaration and injunction to stop Polymarket from offering unlicensed wagering in violation of Nevada law.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
20 Mar. 2026
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The state prohibits operating an unlicensed wagering business and bans betting on elections.—
Hannah Schoenbaum,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Several hundred Australian fuel stations are out of either gasoline or diesel despite Australian ministers assuring the public the market is well supplied.—
Charlene Gubash,
NBC news,
24 Mar. 2026
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Earlier this year, the company supplied Team USA’s Opening and Closing Ceremony outfits for the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The Sun Sentinel reported in November that the Rickards project has been riddled with structural flaws, numerous design changes, unapproved installation of doors, stairs and fire sprinklers, and failed inspections, according to monthly construction progress reports.—
Scott Travis,
Sun Sentinel,
22 Mar. 2026
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The Food and Drug Administration issues a formal warning letter to prohibit sales when products are misbranded, spiked with unapproved drugs or when adverse reactions appear in consumers.—
David Kroll,
The Conversation,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The incident unfolded during a takeover event hosted online, with officials now vowing to prosecute anyone who organizes an unsanctioned gathering in the area.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Now, CodeWall was doing this at McKinsey’s behest; this wasn’t an unsanctioned hack.—
Alan Henry,
PC Magazine,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smuggled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smuggled. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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