as in runner
a person who imports or exports goods secretly and illegally
during Prohibition, smugglers of alcohol did a brisk business
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smuggler
Narco-submarines have become a significant force in the international drug trade, allowing smugglers to surreptitiously move Colombian cocaine around the world.
—
Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025
Migrants hoping for safety and stability are routinely caught in webs of existential uncertainty—they are transferred from smugglers to traffickers, militias to police, and humanitarian organizations to governments.
—Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
That edge is somewhat novel in Star Wars’s universe of smugglers, which typically feels bifurcated between scoundrels with a heart of gold and petty criminals who are rarely more than their base nature.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2025
This will reduce the need for East African countries to seek help from China and the U.S. to combat pirates, smugglers and drug traffickers.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smuggler
Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025
Migrants hoping for safety and stability are routinely caught in webs of existential uncertainty—they are transferred from smugglers to traffickers, militias to police, and humanitarian organizations to governments.
—Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
That edge is somewhat novel in Star Wars’s universe of smugglers, which typically feels bifurcated between scoundrels with a heart of gold and petty criminals who are rarely more than their base nature.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2025
This will reduce the need for East African countries to seek help from China and the U.S. to combat pirates, smugglers and drug traffickers.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smuggler
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smuggler
Noun
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There’s a difference between a small runner and short runner.—
Nick Kosmider,
New York Times,
11 May 2025
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The Mets put two runners on in the third inning, their first two of the game, when Francisco Alvarez was hit with a pitch and Francisco Lindor reached on catcher’s interference.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
11 May 2025
Noun
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Shipping services prices are primarily adjusted according to market conditions, says to the courier.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
12 May 2025
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Guns are purchased by straw purchasers in the U.S., and a network of brokers and couriers then transport them across the border and into Mexico.—
Melissa Quinn
May 9,
CBS News,
9 May 2025
Noun
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The iron law explains why bootleggers smuggled whiskey instead of beer or wine during alcohol prohibition.—
John C. Goodman,
Forbes.com,
12 May 2025
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His death reportedly was the result of a dispute with a bootlegger.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Slip it on with sneakers for sightseeing or with classy mules for a night out to get two outfits in one.—
Isis Briones,
Travel + Leisure,
17 May 2025
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Others lead mules to remote trail work sites, literally taking the loads off the backs of other volunteers.—
Grayson Haver Currin,
Outside Online,
12 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smuggler.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smuggler. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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