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
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
Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
Maharaj personally transcribed some of Mandela’s memoir and smuggled it out of prison with him in 1967.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 29 Jan. 2026
Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties served as distribution hubs for cocaine smuggled by Wedding’s organization, federal authorities charge.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2026
The Alabama Solution In The Alabama Solution, shot largely on cell phones smuggled into a prison by its inmates, The Jinx filmmaker Andrew Jarecki and co-director Charlotte Kauffman investigate systemic issues at Easterling Correctional Facility.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 22 Jan. 2026
They are bought abroad, smuggled in and traded on the black market.
—John Ruwitch, NPR, 15 Jan. 2026
Starlink terminals are known to have been smuggled into Iran during the last large round of protests in 2022 and 2023.
—Marin Scott, NBC news, 14 Jan. 2026
Images smuggled out of the country showed a Tehran-area morgue packed with hundreds of bodies from Thursday night alone.
—Karl Vick, Time, 13 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
Adjective
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
But it’s estimated that in the country of roughly 92 million people, only about 50,000 Starlink terminals have been smuggled into the country, according to digital activists cited by FreedomHouse.
—Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
Maharaj personally transcribed some of Mandela’s memoir and smuggled it out of prison with him in 1967.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 29 Jan. 2026
Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties served as distribution hubs for cocaine smuggled by Wedding’s organization, federal authorities charge.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2026
The Alabama Solution In The Alabama Solution, shot largely on cell phones smuggled into a prison by its inmates, The Jinx filmmaker Andrew Jarecki and co-director Charlotte Kauffman investigate systemic issues at Easterling Correctional Facility.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 22 Jan. 2026
They are bought abroad, smuggled in and traded on the black market.
—John Ruwitch, NPR, 15 Jan. 2026
Starlink terminals are known to have been smuggled into Iran during the last large round of protests in 2022 and 2023.
—Marin Scott, NBC news, 14 Jan. 2026
Images smuggled out of the country showed a Tehran-area morgue packed with hundreds of bodies from Thursday night alone.
—Karl Vick, Time, 13 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smuggled
Adjective
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The same deficiencies cited in contraband cases in the mid-2010s continue to appear in inspections a decade later.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Their world inside Parchman was defined by regulation of contraband items, the work they were told to do, conflicts with other inmates, and the corruption and neglect of the prison administrators.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Forbes estimates last year’s event generated more than $25 million in ticket sales and sold millions more in merchandise.—
Matt Craig,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Goodarzi, an engineer and tech executive, sold his clean energy company, US Hybrid, for $50 million in 2021, according to The California Post.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Drivers cruising on Kansas City’s Main Street will need to steer clear of the new transit-only lanes or face a fine, as the city puts the brakes on unauthorized cars in streetcar and bus lanes.—
Robert A. Cronkleton,
Kansas City Star,
29 Jan. 2026
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Federal law also bars unauthorized immigrants from owning firearms — a rule that withstood a recent challenge in federal court.—
Paul Kiefer,
jsonline.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In addition to where in the stadium tickets can purchased, Razorback Foundation donor levels and priority points also dictate how parking passes around the stadium are distributed and how many tickets are available for purchase in certain sections.—
Matt Jones,
Arkansas Online,
28 Jan. 2026
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The rebates would be distributed in the fall and would be in addition to the $200 million allocated for electric bill rebates in the Next Generation Energy Act, according to the governor's office.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
27 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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Residents say conditions worsened as the winter storm intensified, while city officials insist the shelters were adequately supplied.—
Chaya Tong,
Austin American Statesman,
27 Jan. 2026
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Figure 5 shows examples of the drones supplied by Hylio.—
Sabbir Rangwala,
Forbes.com,
26 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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The unsanctioned practice is intended to push the city and county toward improving safety infrastructure for pedestrians.—
Austin Turner,
CBS News,
20 Jan. 2026
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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 2 Feb. 2026.
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