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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Dissimilar Words
as in contraband
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Recent Examples of smuggled
Anupama Chopra, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Jan. 2025
They are smuggled to Bangladesh and India by ethnic rebels who are both fighting the junta and in business with it.
—Hannah Beech, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
Anti-junta forces now control the entire China-Kachin boundary, through which rare earths, timber, jade and other treasures are smuggled.
—Hannah Beech, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
Bad policy is often smuggled into law in must-pass omnibus packages.
—David Williams, National Review, 26 Dec. 2024
When exactly the statue’s head and torso were separated isn’t known, but experts now think that both pieces were smuggled out of the country in the 1960s.
—Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Dec. 2024
Over the past year, these criminal groups allegedly smuggled a tonne of gold while recruiting couriers on commercial flights.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
In 2022, the Museum for Rescued Art opened in Rome to display artifacts that were stolen from across Italy and smuggled into the United States.
—Ella Feldman, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Dec. 2024
In 2022, the Saudi ambassador in Beirut reported that the authorities in the kingdom had confiscated 700 million tablets smuggled from Lebanon since 2014.
—Tim Lister, CNN, 11 Dec. 2024
Adjective
At various points, young girls are smuggled in containers and even in animal carcasses.
—Anupama Chopra, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Jan. 2025
They are smuggled to Bangladesh and India by ethnic rebels who are both fighting the junta and in business with it.
—Hannah Beech, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
Anti-junta forces now control the entire China-Kachin boundary, through which rare earths, timber, jade and other treasures are smuggled.
—Hannah Beech, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
Bad policy is often smuggled into law in must-pass omnibus packages.
—David Williams, National Review, 26 Dec. 2024
When exactly the statue’s head and torso were separated isn’t known, but experts now think that both pieces were smuggled out of the country in the 1960s.
—Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Dec. 2024
Over the past year, these criminal groups allegedly smuggled a tonne of gold while recruiting couriers on commercial flights.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
In 2022, the Museum for Rescued Art opened in Rome to display artifacts that were stolen from across Italy and smuggled into the United States.
—Ella Feldman, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Dec. 2024
In 2022, the Saudi ambassador in Beirut reported that the authorities in the kingdom had confiscated 700 million tablets smuggled from Lebanon since 2014.
—Tim Lister, CNN, 11 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smuggled
Verb
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The motion also requests that the federal government provide the manufacture date and original funding source for each of the wall materials sold to GovPlanet.—
Ayden Runnels,
Austin American-Statesman,
28 Dec. 2024
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The remaining 40% was sold in June to government and military surplus company GovPlanet, which moved the materials to Arizona in December and listed them for auction on its website – some of it with starting bids of $5.—
Ayden Runnels,
Austin American-Statesman,
28 Dec. 2024
Verb
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For those looking to ensure their estate is distributed according to their actual wishes rather than an outdated family tree, the best move is to consult a competent estate planning attorney (preferably one with a sense of humor about the whole thing).—
Ashley Case,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
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The products were distributed to Tokyo Central and Marukai stores in California.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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That incident led the mother to consult with others in the group, who revealed similar experiences of finding Judy in unauthorized parts of their homes.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 June 2025
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Moreover, Twitter had initially introduced its verification systems after former professional baseball player and manager Tony La Russa sued the platform for allowing unauthorized accounts run by impersonators to use his name and likeness.—
Peter Suciu,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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LoRaWAN runs on unlicensed spectrum, boasts a 10-year battery life and can cover many kilometers.—
Stephen Farrugia,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
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Years later, Lisa is commissioner of the NBA and Bart is running an unlicensed retirement home where Homer lives.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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The settlement stems from allegations that Epic used misleading tactics to prompt unapproved purchases, especially by children playing without supervision.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 June 2025
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In his letter of resignation, former Urban Corps board member Mario Sierra noted that Kennedy tried to threaten him into covering up the unapproved renovations.—
Jeff McDonald,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 June 2025
Adjective
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The unsanctioned race, which was first held in 1971 and would inspire a movie starring Burt Reynolds and Roger Moore, saw competitors try to drive from New York to Los Angeles as quickly as possible.—
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
24 June 2025
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In fact, 65% of unsanctioned SaaS apps are adopted without IT’s involvement, and 59% of IT leaders say SaaS sprawl is hard to manage.—
Corey Elinburg,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smuggled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smuggled. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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