as in contraband
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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
Kaitlin Coward, Boston Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
According to tradition, she was smuggled into the palace wrapped in a carpet—or more likely in a much-less-glamorous sack of dirty laundry—and taken to Caesar’s room.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Mar. 2026
They are often packed into trucks in dangerous conditions to evade authorities while being smuggled north.
—CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
They are often packed into trucks in dangerous conditions to evade authorities while being smuggled north.
—ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
The more poetry that could be smuggled under their noses, by whatever means, the better their skill at keeping house.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2026
In early July, Adams found that a female visitor had smuggled drugs into the prison.
—Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 21 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
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
Data shows a similar drop in overdose deaths in Canada, where fentanyl supplies are usually produced from Chinese chemicals inside the country rather than smuggled in.
—Kaitlin Coward, Boston Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
According to tradition, she was smuggled into the palace wrapped in a carpet—or more likely in a much-less-glamorous sack of dirty laundry—and taken to Caesar’s room.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Mar. 2026
They are often packed into trucks in dangerous conditions to evade authorities while being smuggled north.
—CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
They are often packed into trucks in dangerous conditions to evade authorities while being smuggled north.
—ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
The more poetry that could be smuggled under their noses, by whatever means, the better their skill at keeping house.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2026
In early July, Adams found that a female visitor had smuggled drugs into the prison.
—Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 21 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smuggled
Adjective
-
In March 2023, Duggar’s release date was extended by nearly two months over a contraband cellphone.—
Assistant Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
For many years prior to Tedla opening the restaurant, her mother made and sold injera, the Ethiopian spongy bread, and ran a catering business in Charlotte.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Sportico does not count investment income, such as interest payments or dividends, but does include payouts from equity stakes athletes have sold.—
Justin Birnbaum,
Sportico.com,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Knowing that any unauthorized demonstrations are harshly suppressed, activists have tried to organize authorized rallies, plastered posters on walls and notice boards, and filed lawsuits.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Registration on the Principal Register provides nationwide constructive notice, a legal presumption of ownership, and the right to use the ® symbol — tools that matter when knockoffs and unauthorized merchandise inevitably appear.—
PJ Green
April 8,
Kansas City Star,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Swalwell’s campaign spokesperson, Micah Beasley, went farther in a statement distributed to reporters earlier Tuesday.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
8 Apr. 2026
-
That money is distributed by the MLB Players Association.—
PJ Green
April 8,
Kansas City Star,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
An unlicensed juvenile driver led deputies on a rush hour car chase the ended when the vehicle slammed into a tree and caught fire, according to investigators in North Carolina.—
Mark Price
April 3,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Another, by the Agency for Health Care Administration, examined whether the Flagami house where Rabell lived was an unlicensed elder care facility.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The mill has supplied feed to farmers across the area.—
John Lauritsen,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Its supplies out of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) can usually reach two-thirds of the global population within hours, but output has dropped sharply, with the number of countries supplied falling from 25 in January to just nine in March.—
Michael Rios,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The evidence in favor of many other unapproved peptides is even sparser.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
For the past month, wellness and longevity enthusiasts have eagerly waited for the federal government to loosen restrictions on some of the trendy and unapproved therapies.—
Will Stone,
NPR,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The events are typically unsanctioned and to the surprise of local law enforcement.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Authorities arrested 133 people on charges like disorderly conduct as unsanctioned events drew huge crowds despite restrictions on loud music and alcohol.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smuggled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smuggled. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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