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
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of smugglers
Police operations led to the arrest of 480 smugglers last year, the French Interior Ministry said.
—
Arkansas Online, 24 Apr. 2026
Police operations led to the arrest of 480 smugglers last year, the French Interior Minister said.
—ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026
The characterization that those killed in the attacks are drug-smugglers has been disputed at times by families of the dead.
—Dennis Romero, NBC news, 14 Apr. 2026
Cook County Jail in Chicago, which houses nearly 5,000 detainees, has reported increasing cases of smugglers soaking paper with synthetic drugs and sending them into the jail through mail or visitors.
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2026
Based on the Substack post, the analyst's interviews with fishermen, smugglers and regional officials point to a system in which Iran is selectively allowing ships to pass.
—Yun Li, CNBC, 6 Apr. 2026
Two smugglers were later sentenced to decades in prison for that incident.
—CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
The smugglers let him aboard, and the boy clambered around hatches that, if opened, would reveal dozens of felonies worth of illicit cargo.
—Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 17 Mar. 2026
Agents were discovering players and then paying smugglers to transport them.
—Tyler Carmona, Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
Arkansas Online, 24 Apr. 2026
Police operations led to the arrest of 480 smugglers last year, the French Interior Minister said.
—ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026
The characterization that those killed in the attacks are drug-smugglers has been disputed at times by families of the dead.
—Dennis Romero, NBC news, 14 Apr. 2026
Cook County Jail in Chicago, which houses nearly 5,000 detainees, has reported increasing cases of smugglers soaking paper with synthetic drugs and sending them into the jail through mail or visitors.
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2026
Based on the Substack post, the analyst's interviews with fishermen, smugglers and regional officials point to a system in which Iran is selectively allowing ships to pass.
—Yun Li, CNBC, 6 Apr. 2026
Two smugglers were later sentenced to decades in prison for that incident.
—CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
The smugglers let him aboard, and the boy clambered around hatches that, if opened, would reveal dozens of felonies worth of illicit cargo.
—Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 17 Mar. 2026
Agents were discovering players and then paying smugglers to transport them.
—Tyler Carmona, Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smugglers
Noun
-
When runners are on base, the hitters are unable to drive them in for runs.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Nike had unveiled a radically new design for Breaking2, incorporating a curved carbon-fiber plate into a thick wedge of springy midsole foam, which external lab data suggested would make runners several percent faster.—
Alex Hutchinson,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Higher-level couriers in the United States are still being investigated.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Sam An, a pharmacist at a compounding pharmacy until 2021, told me that his workplace employed about twenty people—pharmacists, technicians, cashiers, couriers—in what resembled a chemistry laboratory.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
From embracing bootleggers to pulling its catalog from Spotify, Mackenzie explains how the band has tried to protect its creative core while the industry transforms around it.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smugglers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smugglers. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
