as in contraband
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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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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
Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
Inside it, Daisy has smuggled a letter, which details her plan to raise an army of teenage girls to rile Gilead from the inside.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 27 May 2026
In January, the US reportedly smuggled 6,000 Starlink broadband terminals into Iran to help residents bypass blocks to Internet access.
—ArsTechnica, 26 May 2026
Arsenal fans smuggled themselves into the home end, and some watched the roof of the nearby Sainsbury’s.
—James McNicholas, New York Times, 25 May 2026
This is not a red-state fever dream smuggled into California.
—Tracy Hernandez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 May 2026
Many trafficked individuals are smuggled into the country illegally, and yet there are others who arrive, as Djena did, with a visa and a name to ask for at the airport.
—Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Fentanyl can be made year-round and smuggled into the United States in small doses as opposed to marijuana or cocaine, which both come from plants that are harvested seasonally and must be smuggled in large quantities to be profitable.
—Anna Giaritelli, The Washington Examiner, 17 May 2026
Brazilian gold mined illegally inside Indigenous territory has reportedly been smuggled into Venezuela and exported internationally because buyers there ask fewer questions about its origins.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 13 May 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
The animals smuggled from Mexico were advertised on social media, with defendants posting photos and videos of the reptiles being captured in the wild.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
Inside it, Daisy has smuggled a letter, which details her plan to raise an army of teenage girls to rile Gilead from the inside.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 27 May 2026
In January, the US reportedly smuggled 6,000 Starlink broadband terminals into Iran to help residents bypass blocks to Internet access.
—ArsTechnica, 26 May 2026
Arsenal fans smuggled themselves into the home end, and some watched the roof of the nearby Sainsbury’s.
—James McNicholas, New York Times, 25 May 2026
This is not a red-state fever dream smuggled into California.
—Tracy Hernandez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 May 2026
Many trafficked individuals are smuggled into the country illegally, and yet there are others who arrive, as Djena did, with a visa and a name to ask for at the airport.
—Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Fentanyl can be made year-round and smuggled into the United States in small doses as opposed to marijuana or cocaine, which both come from plants that are harvested seasonally and must be smuggled in large quantities to be profitable.
—Anna Giaritelli, The Washington Examiner, 17 May 2026
Brazilian gold mined illegally inside Indigenous territory has reportedly been smuggled into Venezuela and exported internationally because buyers there ask fewer questions about its origins.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 13 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smuggled
Adjective
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That encounter led to The Alabama Solution, a documentary that uses footage shot on contraband cell phones to expose allegedly inhumane conditions inside Alabama's prison system.—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 June 2026
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With each update posted on social media, including a viral April 22 TikTok, Bina's network of contraband pamphlet suppliers continues to grow.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
28 May 2026
Verb
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To make matters messier, Danson and Goldberg’s romance was cooling off and the two actually tried to get out of the Friars roast, but the club said the tickets had been sold and the show must go on.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
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In corporate news, shares in Universal Music Group were seen down 6% following reports that Pershing Square had sold its stake in the group, after two failed takeover attempts.—
Joseph Wilkins,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
Adjective
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Prosecutors allege the defendants conspired to embezzle millions that went toward salary and benefits for no-show jobs, luxury international travel, fine dining, vacation payouts and unauthorized loans.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
28 May 2026
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The addition was a prompt injection, a form of AI attack that exploits an LLM’s inability to distinguish between legitimate user prompts and those from unauthorized, potentially malicious third parties.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
28 May 2026
Verb
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They’re distributed between the central Sculpture building and six standalone two- and three-bedroom casitas.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
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While the conservative cost to replace a single frontline worker stands at $10,000, the average emergency grant distributed to manufacturing employees is only $1,145.—
Arthur Zaczkiewicz,
Footwear News,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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They had been convicted not of any national-security offense but of the misdemeanor charge of transporting unlicensed weapons.—
Euan Ward,
New Yorker,
29 May 2026
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Lightfoot-Gaines has already been arrested twice for carrying unlicensed firearms.—
Mike Darnay,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Its layout features open-air terraces, an Olympic-sized 25-meter pool, and unique natural features like dual private waterfalls, which supplied Love Island USA producers with a range of filming settings, from lively parties to awkward dates (like Korey and Elly's).—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 June 2026
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That fund would be supplied by a set of fees charged to the tax buyers.—
Jenna Schweikert,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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Hundreds, if not thousands, of clinics now market unapproved procedures for everything from common sports injuries to neurological diseases.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
27 May 2026
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The agency filed two lawsuits in 2018 against clinics promoting unapproved stem cell therapies online, setting off years of court filings and appeals.—
Hanna Wickes,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 May 2026
Adjective
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When an employee deployed an unsanctioned file-sharing application a decade ago, the primary risk was data exposure.—
Emil Sayegh,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
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The Cherry Bombs, an unsanctioned USL W League team named after a 1976 punk anthem and based in the Pacific Northwest city, not only won their first match but also sold out their inaugural kits after launching a loud campaign.—
Tamerra Griffin,
New York Times,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smuggled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smuggled. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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