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
Damon Wise, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2025
Liu allegedly smuggled the fungus into the country at Detroit Metro Airport in clear plastic baggies in his backpack in July 2024.
—Christina Hall, Freep.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Following the theft, a special committee was set up to review artifacts in the laboratory and images of the missing bracelet were circulated to antiquities units at Egypt’s airports, seaports and land border crossings, fearing it would be smuggled abroad.
—CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
The chief of Ukraine's SBU security agency, Vasyl Maliuk, later said 150 combat first person-view drones were used in Operation Spiderweb, smuggled over the border and placed close to the airfields.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
But the reality is that car dependence entrenches debt, ill health, and vulnerability—forms of unfreedom smuggled in under the name of freedom.
—Henrietta Moore, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2025
The horns, smuggled from Angola, were seized, and the Vietnamese national involved was arrested.
—Real-Time News Team, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
Instead of freely taking up legal work in Thailand, Sara was smuggled at gunpoint into a scammers’ compound in Myanmar.
—Christine Ro, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Wen smuggled three shipping containers of guns and ammunition to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) before he was caught, prosecutors said.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 20 Aug. 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
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
Liu allegedly smuggled the fungus into the country at Detroit Metro Airport in clear plastic baggies in his backpack in July 2024.
—Christina Hall, Freep.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Following the theft, a special committee was set up to review artifacts in the laboratory and images of the missing bracelet were circulated to antiquities units at Egypt’s airports, seaports and land border crossings, fearing it would be smuggled abroad.
—CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
The chief of Ukraine's SBU security agency, Vasyl Maliuk, later said 150 combat first person-view drones were used in Operation Spiderweb, smuggled over the border and placed close to the airfields.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
But the reality is that car dependence entrenches debt, ill health, and vulnerability—forms of unfreedom smuggled in under the name of freedom.
—Henrietta Moore, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2025
The horns, smuggled from Angola, were seized, and the Vietnamese national involved was arrested.
—Real-Time News Team, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
Instead of freely taking up legal work in Thailand, Sara was smuggled at gunpoint into a scammers’ compound in Myanmar.
—Christine Ro, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Wen smuggled three shipping containers of guns and ammunition to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) before he was caught, prosecutors said.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smuggled
Verb
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In the interim, Ludwinski sold Sister Pie goods at Eastern Market on specific dates, took special orders and offered limited items with occasional openings.—
Susan Selasky,
Freep.com,
4 Oct. 2025
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The full-service pharmacy first opened in 1962 and became well-known for its cult-favorite ice cream brand, Thrifty, which has since been sold due to the store’s bankruptcy.—
Auzinea Bacon,
CNN Money,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Once bound for the thriving black market, these cactuses are now contraband.—
John Leos,
AZCentral.com,
26 Sep. 2025
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Since 2020, the Milwaukee County Jail has recorded 175 contraband incidents and administered Narcan 50 times, according to a report from the county's judiciary, law enforcement and general services committee.—
Vanessa Swales,
jsonline.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In addition to retail sales, some of these items were distributed to schools and Department of Defense facilities, although the USDA noted that the school distribution was not part of the National School Lunch Program.—
Daniel Orton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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The Aztecs offered two complimentary tickets to season ticket holders and also distributed tickets at community events.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In addition, reported unauthorized border crossing attempts have plummeted.—
Phillip Reese,
Miami Herald,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Munich airport was shut down this morning due to unauthorized drones in its airspace, and Putin joked about it in Sochi.—
Geoff Colvin,
Fortune,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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National Highways confirmed that the machine, operated by Skanska and supplied by Flannery Plant Hire, is powered by hydrogen from Ryze.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Oct. 2025
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Back in May, one Facebook user posted a question in the public group What to pack for Italy - Travel Essentials regarding whether or not Italian hotels supplied conditioner for guests.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Within less than a year, the Sheriff’s Office had issued corrective action notices to NaphCare for failing to pay outside hospitals and medical specialists, using unlicensed staff and ignoring requests to replace broken medical equipment, among other deficiencies.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Sep. 2025
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The bar was also the site of a shootout involving unlicensed security that sent someone to the hospital.—
Quinlan Bentley,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The instinct to simply ban unapproved AI may backfire, driving usage further underground.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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But the search continues, and despite all those pitfalls, hospitals and physicians are using unapproved tests that are available to screen patients, often at exorbitant costs.—
Cory Franklin,
Twin Cities,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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During his sojourn in Philadelphia, Ali constantly challenged Frazier to unsanctioned fights.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
16 Sep. 2025
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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 7 Oct. 2025.
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