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
Anna Chernova, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2025
Inevitably, a few students were surreptitiously checking smuggled screens that day.
—Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 5 Sep. 2025
Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2025
Once filmmakers completed the 28-day shoot, a rough cut was smuggled out of Iran.
—Hugh Hart, IndieWire, 17 Oct. 2025
But a comparable amount is also smuggled out via Chad, the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, and Egypt—nearly all destined for the UAE.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 15 Oct. 2025
In 2011, the same year Farhadi’s Oscar-winning A Separation premiered, Panahi’s This Is Not a Film was smuggled into Cannes on a USB stick.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2025
His throne room is a concrete box; his scepter a smartphone smuggled in to his confines.
—Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2025
Israeli officials deny any systematic violations of international law and assert that Hamas routinely used noncombatants as human shields and smuggled humanitarian assistance, accusations denied by the militant group.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
After escaping prison in New Jersey in November 1979, Shakur lived in hiding for several years before being smuggled to Cuba, where Fidel Castro’s government granted her asylum in 1984.
—Essence, 30 Sep. 2025
That ratio is more impressive given that they were smuggled out of Europe in a suitcase at the dawn of the Second World War, and, given Kafka’s Jewish roots, could very easily have been lost forever.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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
Adjective
The doctors used equipment that had been smuggled into the Ghetto to measure capillary circulation, examine bone marrow under microscopes, and record electrocardiograms.
—Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2025
Once filmmakers completed the 28-day shoot, a rough cut was smuggled out of Iran.
—Hugh Hart, IndieWire, 17 Oct. 2025
But a comparable amount is also smuggled out via Chad, the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, and Egypt—nearly all destined for the UAE.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 15 Oct. 2025
In 2011, the same year Farhadi’s Oscar-winning A Separation premiered, Panahi’s This Is Not a Film was smuggled into Cannes on a USB stick.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2025
His throne room is a concrete box; his scepter a smartphone smuggled in to his confines.
—Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2025
Israeli officials deny any systematic violations of international law and assert that Hamas routinely used noncombatants as human shields and smuggled humanitarian assistance, accusations denied by the militant group.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
After escaping prison in New Jersey in November 1979, Shakur lived in hiding for several years before being smuggled to Cuba, where Fidel Castro’s government granted her asylum in 1984.
—Essence, 30 Sep. 2025
That ratio is more impressive given that they were smuggled out of Europe in a suitcase at the dawn of the Second World War, and, given Kafka’s Jewish roots, could very easily have been lost forever.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smuggled
Verb
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Sutton is among a group of both private and nonprofit developers who have constructed and sold homes on land bank lots across the county.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
18 Oct. 2025
-
After Annabel’s and the other Birley clubs – including Harry’s Bar, Mark’s Club, and George – were sold, Lady Annabel’s son Robin took up the family mantle, and opened a string of private eating clubs and bakeries on both sides of the Atlantic.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Shkreli, for one, was reportedly running his pharmaceutical company from behind bars using a contraband smartphone, according to the Wall Street Journal.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
7 Oct. 2025
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According to his report, nearly half of the 26 employees charged were for drug and contraband related crimes, including bringing marijuana, meth and fentanyl into the facility.—
Vivian Jones,
Nashville Tennessean,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Fear has been institutionalized—budgeted, distributed, sold as peace.—
Mohammed R. Mhawish,
New Yorker,
14 Oct. 2025
-
The show is produced by Dave Shumka and Megan Tan and will be distributed by iHeartPodcasts.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Instead, attackers gained unauthorized access to 5CA, one of Discord's third-party customer service providers.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
19 Oct. 2025
-
McBee pled guilty to one count of federal crop insurance fraud in November 2024, resulting in the reality star receiving $3,158,923 in unauthorized benefits.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In the early days of the post-colonial United States, Long Island farms supplied New York City, while the whaling industry thrived in Sag Harbor.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Nike supplied Lorch with gear coveted by players.—
Luke Cyphers,
Sportico.com,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Its living room rapidly reached the swelter and volume of a blacksmith’s forge operating as a front for an unlicensed tavern.—
Caity Weaver,
The Atlantic,
8 Oct. 2025
-
According to The Trevor Project’s 2023 report, more than 1,300 practitioners in 48 states and the District of Columbia continue to offer licensed or unlicensed forms of conversion therapy to minors.—
Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez,
Time,
8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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What’s more, 57% of regular employees using unapproved AI tools had approval from their managers.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
10 Oct. 2025
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Turkey sandwiches, cheesecakes and other foods inside the back two-door upright refrigerator were from unapproved vendors.—
Sarah Linn,
Sacbee.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
During his sojourn in Philadelphia, Ali constantly challenged Frazier to unsanctioned fights.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
16 Sep. 2025
-
If that data moves through unsanctioned channels or lands in public models, it’s exposed.—
Mark Doble,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smuggled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smuggled. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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