SMUGGLED Synonyms: 88 Similar and Opposite Words

smuggled 1 of 2

adjective

as in contraband

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smuggled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of smuggle

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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of smuggled

Adjective

The smuggled animals, which were imported from both Hong Kong and Mexico without permits, included Mexican beaded lizards, Mexican box turtles and Yucatan box turtles and baby crocodiles, prosecutors said. — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 31 May 2026 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

It’s based on secret recordings — heard here for the first time — made by Diana, Princess of Wales in 1991, and smuggled out of her home in Kensington Palace. — Emily Longeretta, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026 In 2025, Ukraine smuggled over 100 small drones into Russia in commercial cargo trucks and used them to strike strategic air bases thousands of miles from the border. — Todd J. Stein, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2026 A little less than 18 months ago, Ukraine carried out a sneak drone attack in which forces smuggled them into Russian territory and waited until the truck that was unknowingly carrying them got close to Russian bases. — Mike Brest, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 2026 But Operation Vivaldi is the first time they are known to have been smuggled behind Russia’s defensive lines. — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026 Supplies are also strained because medicines are smuggled to neighboring Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq, where prices are higher, state media reported. — ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026 On weekend nights, Combs would reportedly break into a secret stash of top-shelf liquor allegedly smuggled into the prison by guards and shared with a small circle of inmates. — Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026 Last year, Machado smuggled herself out of Venezuela after she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to restore democracy in the South American country. — Clyburn Saint John, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026 In any case, Park smuggled a few zukes over the border—don’t tell Interpol—and gave one to Lily Collins, her Emily costar. — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 25 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for smuggled

Adjective

Officers searched the restroom and found a package of contraband drugs, including K2, high-potency THC wax and suboxone strips.

— DeJanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
His current release date is scheduled for March 2028, a recent change after he was reportedly caught using a contraband cell phone to scroll on Instagram.

— Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of contraband

Verb

The nine books in the series have sold 3 million copies and been published in 205 countries.

— Max Goldbart, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026
Published by Puffin, the nine books of the Lottie Brooks series have been translated into more than 30 languages and have sold more than 3 million copies worldwide.

— Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of sold

Adjective

Faced with a seemingly impossible challenge, a human might simply give up rather than resort to these kinds of unauthorized steps.

— Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2026
OpenAI recently disclosed six cases of concerning model behavior, and Anthropic has also admitted its models gained unauthorized access to three organizations’ systems during testing.

— Chris Stokel-Walker, Scientific American, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of unauthorized

Verb

Among Parton’s charitable efforts aimed at education was her Imagination Library, which has distributed more than 300 million books to children worldwide over the past 30 years.

— Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 9 Oct. 2026
In total, 96 groups across the country saw their funding expire at the end of the September, because of a reorganization in the way federal dollars are being distributed.

— Ciara McCarthy October 9, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of distributed

Adjective

For relief, the Knicks seek a permanent injunction blocking the defendants from using Knicks trademarks and other intellectual property in connection with the unlicensed sale of goods.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Cops have arrested an unlicensed SUV operator who caused a chain-reaction crash that killed a 67-year-old man on a Brooklyn sidewalk, officials said Friday.

— Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of unlicensed

Adjective

Over the past two months, companies including OpenAI and Anthropic disclosed multiple incidents in which their AI agents accessed the internet when they weren't supposed to and carried out unapproved activities.

— Katie McQue, NPR, 26 Sep. 2026
Kratom has gained popularity as an unapproved treatment for pain, anxiety and drug dependence.

— Josh Feldman, NBC news, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of unapproved

Adjective

Set early during the New Republic era, the game introduces the Galactic League, an unsanctioned racing circuit assembled by Darius Pax.

— Tanya Fedak, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
The company is drawing a line between sanctioned and unsanctioned sharing with outside safety groups at the same time the industry is, slowly, inviting those groups in.

— Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of unsanctioned

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Style

“Smuggled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smuggled. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of smuggled

adjective

verb

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