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
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
Mexico Defense Minister Ricardo Trevilla Trejo said that, as with other Mexican crime scenes, about 80% of the recovered weapons were bought in the United States and smuggled across the border.
—Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
Deadlock, then a daring escape While the dead and wounded were smuggled to shore and safety, the remaining sailors on board were stuck in sweltering heat, under threat from barrages from the shore, and with dwindling supplies.
—Anne Ewbank, Popular Science, 18 Feb. 2026
Three of the guns used in the rampage were smuggled illegally from Maine.
—Max Saltman, CNN Money, 15 Feb. 2026
Iran’s comments were first reported by Bloomberg, which said that around 50,000 terminals for Starlink were smuggled into Iran in recent years, allowing protesters to subvert internet outages backed by the government.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 10 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
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
Mexico Defense Minister Ricardo Trevilla Trejo said that, as with other Mexican crime scenes, about 80% of the recovered weapons were bought in the United States and smuggled across the border.
—Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
Deadlock, then a daring escape While the dead and wounded were smuggled to shore and safety, the remaining sailors on board were stuck in sweltering heat, under threat from barrages from the shore, and with dwindling supplies.
—Anne Ewbank, Popular Science, 18 Feb. 2026
Three of the guns used in the rampage were smuggled illegally from Maine.
—Max Saltman, CNN Money, 15 Feb. 2026
Iran’s comments were first reported by Bloomberg, which said that around 50,000 terminals for Starlink were smuggled into Iran in recent years, allowing protesters to subvert internet outages backed by the government.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 10 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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In May 2025, a 1,871-square-foot single-family residence in the 3800 block of Corina Way sold for $3,300,000, a price per square foot of $1,764.—
Bay Area Home Report,
Mercury News,
12 Mar. 2026
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It was originally sold to someone overseas who ultimately couldn’t complete the purchase, so there were some details that hadn’t been finished.—
Carisa Crawford Chappell,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The Atlanta Department of Public Works has removed more than 400 unauthorized signs in the past year, communications director Kim Rankins said in an email.—
Thomas Lake,
AJC.com,
12 Mar. 2026
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Thousands of companies have filed lawsuits seeking refunds after paying the unauthorized tariffs.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Affected raw oysters were sold in Washington, while the Manila clams were distributed to restaurants and retailers in California, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, New York, Oregon and Washington, according to the FDA.—
Jasmine Mendez
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
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Those gains are distributed to remaining shareholders — and are a taxable event, likely generating both short- and long-term capital gain distributions.—
Darla Mercado, CFP®,
CNBC,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The lawsuit alleges the business constitutes unlicensed gambling and that Kalshi conducts this business in Michigan without the licensing approval of the Michigan Gaming Control Board in violation of the LSBA.—
Jalen Williams,
Freep.com,
6 Mar. 2026
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But according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the seemingly ordinary home was allegedly operating as an unlicensed senior care facility where elderly residents were malnourished and being neglected.—
Cierra Morgan,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This information and supporting documentation were supplied to the reporter to provide context but were suspiciously not included in the article.—
Aegis reader commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Mar. 2026
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In fact, once the hostages — all of them — were released, Ronald Reagan not only lifted sanctions on Iran but also supplied that regime with hundreds of missiles.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Federal regulators have issued warnings that unapproved exosomes could leave customers with severe skin infections.—
Cindy Krischer Goodman,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2026
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The suit said the scheme circumvents FDA regulations that generally prohibit importation of unapproved medications from overseas.—
Melissa Lee,Paige Tortorelli,Scott Zamost,
CNBC,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Just outside City Hall last Saturday, hundreds of Iranian Americans poured into the streets to decry the start of an unsanctioned war.—
Alicia Victoria Lozano,
NBC news,
7 Mar. 2026
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Onitsuka, whose group led Saturday’s rally, added that the American people are also enraged to have their tax dollars pay for an unjust and unsanctioned war that’s causing death and destruction as many struggle to survive in this country.—
La Risa R. Lynch,
jsonline.com,
1 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smuggled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smuggled. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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