as in runners
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 smugglers
As Danny and Lena squared off against thieves, smugglers, and serial killers, Boston Blue also explored the tangled branches of the Silver family tree.
—
Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 23 May 2026
The reductions, which reduced the number of entomologists, have emboldened ant smugglers, Wired reported.
—Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 15 May 2026
That case charged a handful of Florida defendants with stealing more than 600 outboard boat engines and vessels from the Tampa area and shipping them to the migrant smugglers in the Quintana Roo area.
—Jay Weaver
may 14, Miami Herald, 14 May 2026
Greg Thomas, chief executive of ChainSentry, a firm that conducts gray-market surveillance of semiconductor supply chains, said export controls have created an artificial scarcity that has made advanced chips almost irresistible to smugglers.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 13 May 2026
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
Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 23 May 2026
The reductions, which reduced the number of entomologists, have emboldened ant smugglers, Wired reported.
—Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 15 May 2026
That case charged a handful of Florida defendants with stealing more than 600 outboard boat engines and vessels from the Tampa area and shipping them to the migrant smugglers in the Quintana Roo area.
—Jay Weaver
may 14, Miami Herald, 14 May 2026
Greg Thomas, chief executive of ChainSentry, a firm that conducts gray-market surveillance of semiconductor supply chains, said export controls have created an artificial scarcity that has made advanced chips almost irresistible to smugglers.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 13 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smugglers
Noun
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The Dodgers eked across a run in the third on a Freddie Freeman groundout with runners on second and third.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2026
-
Stowers bunted the runners over and Xavier Edwards walked to load the bases.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
2 June 2026
Noun
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Top figures could avoid vulnerable communications, rely on couriers or hardwired systems, and disperse authority before an operation begins.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
28 May 2026
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Instead, messages are passed through a network of couriers created to obscure the supreme leader's location.—
Jennifer Jacobs,
CBS News,
24 May 2026
Noun
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Stock car racing's origins trace back to the Prohibition era when bootleggers raced modified cars.—
Keith Laing,
USA Today,
23 May 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Smugglers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smugglers. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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