as in runners
a person who imports or exports goods secretly and illegally
during Prohibition, smugglers of alcohol did a brisk business
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smugglers
In the 1980s and 1990s, the elder Robbins and other officers created havoc among Santa Cruz’s pot smugglers and dealers and growers, of which there were many, for the region had long been a hub of the weed and illicit drugs trade.
—
Scott Eden, Rolling Stone, 1 Feb. 2026
And Galaxy’s Edge forever lacked some of its teased and hyped elements — there were no smugglers, for instance, tapping you on the shoulder in the cantina.
—Todd Martens, Boston Herald, 25 Jan. 2026
Cocaine can be dumped into the water to evade detection from law enforcement or to be picked up by other smugglers, but the drug sometimes end up on beaches and in the waters off Florida.
—Stephen Smith, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
And Galaxy’s Edge forever lacked some of its teased and hyped elements — there were no smugglers, for instance, tapping you on the shoulder in the cantina.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026
The top players were either gamblers, smugglers or both.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Jan. 2026
That includes both legitimate businesses like avocado growers, and smugglers moving drugs and migrants toward the United States.
—Mary Beth Sheridan, CNN Money, 9 Jan. 2026
So can those who set prices; deal with Mexican cartel suppliers; launder money; establish drug houses; and pay smugglers, intermediaries and others.
—Kevin Krause, Dallas Morning News, 6 Jan. 2026
Yes, arrest the murderers, drug lords and gang members, thieves and smugglers.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 2 Jan. 2026
Scott Eden, Rolling Stone, 1 Feb. 2026
And Galaxy’s Edge forever lacked some of its teased and hyped elements — there were no smugglers, for instance, tapping you on the shoulder in the cantina.
—Todd Martens, Boston Herald, 25 Jan. 2026
Cocaine can be dumped into the water to evade detection from law enforcement or to be picked up by other smugglers, but the drug sometimes end up on beaches and in the waters off Florida.
—Stephen Smith, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
And Galaxy’s Edge forever lacked some of its teased and hyped elements — there were no smugglers, for instance, tapping you on the shoulder in the cantina.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026
The top players were either gamblers, smugglers or both.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Jan. 2026
That includes both legitimate businesses like avocado growers, and smugglers moving drugs and migrants toward the United States.
—Mary Beth Sheridan, CNN Money, 9 Jan. 2026
So can those who set prices; deal with Mexican cartel suppliers; launder money; establish drug houses; and pay smugglers, intermediaries and others.
—Kevin Krause, Dallas Morning News, 6 Jan. 2026
Yes, arrest the murderers, drug lords and gang members, thieves and smugglers.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 2 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smugglers
Noun
-
The winner and four runners up will be announced on March 25.—
Charlotte Reck,
CNN Money,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Both his parents and all those agent runners in London are gone.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The victims were told to hand the gold over to couriers, who authorities say are among the suspects now arrested.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
31 Jan. 2026
-
The remaining three defendants, Lucca Perez Costa, Leonardo Meira Gomes and Tadeu Sebastiane Rabelo Alves Barbosa, are described as couriers.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Key lime pie has been enjoyed by locals in Key West for over 100 years, which means bootleggers and Ernest Hemingway both (most likely) indulged in the sweet-tart treat.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
28 Dec. 2025
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No one knows why; no one has a telephone in the rural Blue Ridge Mountains, so John Boy sets out into a winter storm to find his daddy, having various escapades with the quirky residents of their backwoods community—a Black preacher, a pair of old-lady bootleggers, a turkey thief—along the way.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smugglers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smugglers. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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