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
The four-part docuseries focuses on reptiles — Goode’s first love, according to a synopsis of the series — and the collectors and smugglers going to great lengths to get their hands on rarer and deadlier species in what has become a billion-dollar criminal enterprise that spans six continents.
—
Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
The final episode culminates with the group continuing to try to catch the smugglers — despite their program being cut.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
That day, six medium-sized speedboats, belonging to drug traffickers or smugglers, had sought refuge from a storm among the breakwaters and docks of the port.
—Óscar Martínez, The Dial, 30 Apr. 2026
Police operations led to the arrest of 480 smugglers last year, the French Interior Ministry said.
—Arkansas Online, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for smuggler
Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
The final episode culminates with the group continuing to try to catch the smugglers — despite their program being cut.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
That day, six medium-sized speedboats, belonging to drug traffickers or smugglers, had sought refuge from a storm among the breakwaters and docks of the port.
—Óscar Martínez, The Dial, 30 Apr. 2026
Police operations led to the arrest of 480 smugglers last year, the French Interior Ministry said.
—Arkansas Online, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for smuggler
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smuggler
Noun
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The only other base-runner Weathers permitted prior to Rutschman’s single came on a free pass in the fifth frame.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
12 May 2026
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Small tips, like the cut of hoods, or the excess arm space runners need in order to move, showed students how intricate even the simplest of pieces needed to be.—
Kaio Cesar,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
Noun
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Jewelry couriers carrying armored cases disappear into the famously tiny elevators.—
Melinda Sheckells,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
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Staffers in the front office smoked, gabbed on the phone, and chatted with the illustrators and couriers stopping by the third-floor walk-up to drop off portfolios.—
Anne Kadet,
Curbed,
15 May 2026
Noun
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Even the underground tunnels bootleggers used to service the Green Mill during its speakeasy days are still in place.—
Meena Thiruvengadam,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Apr. 2026
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His father was a factory worker and a barber, as well as a bootlegger and loan shark.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Here, the phenomenon of a mule was an instructive guide in predicting what would happen when a watermelon with tetraploid chromosomes was crossed with an ordinary diploid variety.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
7 May 2026
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The patio gets packed on game days, but there’s almost always room at the bar to order a margarita, mezcal mule, or—for the under-21 crowd—a fruit-forward agua fresca.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smuggler.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smuggler. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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