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
Anna Chernova, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2025
Inevitably, a few students were surreptitiously checking smuggled screens that day.
—Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 5 Sep. 2025
Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 7 Jan. 2026
The attack was an expansion of the military’s targeting area to the waters off South America where much of the cocaine from the world’s largest producers is smuggled.
—Ben Finley, Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2026
The think tank Center for a New American Security estimates that between 10,000 and several hundred thousand AI chips were smuggled to China in 2024 alone.
—Magdalena Petrova,eamon Javers, CNBC, 31 Dec. 2025
Somalia has also become an important transit hub for weapons smuggled into Houthi areas.
—April Longley Alley, Foreign Affairs, 18 Dec. 2025
Back in 2023, a rat and an otter were smuggled into a passenger's suitcase on a flight from Bangkok to Taiwan, as Fox News Digital reported at the time.
—Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 16 Dec. 2025
His fear is that more cartels will shift drug production away from cocaine - a risky but far less lethal street drug – and will pivot to dealing deadlier synthetic substances such as fentanyl, methamphetamines and nitazenes that can be produced and smuggled more easily.
—Brian Mann, NPR, 15 Dec. 2025
The court records make no mention of DHS’ claim that Santillana had recently paid to have her teenage children smuggled across the border.
—Armando Garcia, ABC News, 7 Nov. 2025
Some of that is possibly smuggled in illegally.
—John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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
When Israel launched the surprise war against Iran last summer, the depth of its infiltration became evident when it was revealed that Israeli intelligence agents smuggled weapons into the country and used them to strike high-value targets from within Iranian territory.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 7 Jan. 2026
The attack was an expansion of the military’s targeting area to the waters off South America where much of the cocaine from the world’s largest producers is smuggled.
—Ben Finley, Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2026
The think tank Center for a New American Security estimates that between 10,000 and several hundred thousand AI chips were smuggled to China in 2024 alone.
—Magdalena Petrova,eamon Javers, CNBC, 31 Dec. 2025
Somalia has also become an important transit hub for weapons smuggled into Houthi areas.
—April Longley Alley, Foreign Affairs, 18 Dec. 2025
Back in 2023, a rat and an otter were smuggled into a passenger's suitcase on a flight from Bangkok to Taiwan, as Fox News Digital reported at the time.
—Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 16 Dec. 2025
His fear is that more cartels will shift drug production away from cocaine - a risky but far less lethal street drug – and will pivot to dealing deadlier synthetic substances such as fentanyl, methamphetamines and nitazenes that can be produced and smuggled more easily.
—Brian Mann, NPR, 15 Dec. 2025
The court records make no mention of DHS’ claim that Santillana had recently paid to have her teenage children smuggled across the border.
—Armando Garcia, ABC News, 7 Nov. 2025
Some of that is possibly smuggled in illegally.
—John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smuggled
Adjective
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The point of view belongs to a group of inmate activists, who document abuses on contraband cellphones.—
Steve Dollar,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Jan. 2026
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Using contraband phones, those men were able to document some of the horrors of their lives behind bars and to share them with the filmmakers.—
Scott Feinberg,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The new California law or Assembly Bill 1830 requires most tortillas and corn masa products sold to contain folic acid, a vitamin important to infant health, according to CalMatters.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
January 12,
Sacbee.com,
12 Jan. 2026
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The building was sold in 1951 for $600 and turned into a home, records show.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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But those state actions are now unauthorized because of the Supreme Court order, the USDA wrote in guidance released on Saturday.—
Leah Douglas,
USA Today,
9 Nov. 2025
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The somber discussion followed discussions surrounding poor internal controls that have resulted in tens of millions of dollars spent on unauthorized contracts and unbudgeted expenses.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Reza Pahlavi himself has distributed messages calling for defections among the armed forces, and coordinated protests through QR codes.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Jan. 2026
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Standing 165 centimeters tall and weighing 71 kilograms, the GR-3 offers 55 degrees of freedom and is equipped with tactile sensors distributed across its body for responsive interaction.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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He was charged, along with two others, with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, discharging a handgun within 500 feet of a dwelling and unlicensed possession of a firearm.—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
7 Jan. 2026
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The third proposal would establish and enforce occupancy limits requiring all tenants to be listed on leases and license applications and prohibit unlicensed short term subletting in smaller residential units.—
Addison Wright,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Riverview has supplied its expanding dairy operation with cattle feed by growing wheat, alfalfa and corn.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
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Power is generated from a wide variety of sources, including hydel, solar, nuclear, thermal, and wind, and is supplied through regional and national grids.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Elizabeth has never told her doctor about taking an unapproved drug or buying from the underground market.—
Sarah Zhang,
The Atlantic,
23 Dec. 2025
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The restaurant’s employee drinks, in unapproved cups, were on the prep table in the kitchen.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
19 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Many live in unsanctioned tents on Anderson Drive and in a nearby temporary city encampment that will soon close.—
Kenny Choi,
CBS News,
17 Nov. 2025
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Puma’s Popovic believes unsanctioned races have taken over for run clubs as the best form of community building.—
Ian Servantes,
Footwear News,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smuggled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smuggled. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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