Synonyms of smuggling

smuggling 1 of 2

noun

as in poaching

Related Words

• poaching
• piracy
• kidnapping
• banditry
• rustling
• looting
• plundering
• abduction
• hijacking
• shoplifting
• pilfering
• pilferage
• black marketeering
• spoliation
• pillage
• rapine
• despoliation
• embezzlement
• carjacking
• stealing
• graft
• despoilment
• shanghaiing
• robbery
• burglary
• petit larceny
• embezzling
• misappropriation
• filching
• larceny
• petty larceny
• peculation
• thievery
• theft
• misapplication
• purloining
• housebreaking

smuggling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of smuggle

as in selling

to move (people or goods) from one country to another secretly and illegally

They were arrested for smuggling drugs across the border.

Related Words

• selling
• distributing
• trafficking
• bootlegging
• supplying
• buying
• black-marketing
• exchanging
• bartering
• fencing
• bargaining
• transacting
• reselling
• purchasing
• negotiating
• swapping
• merchandising
• auctioning
• taking
• peddling
• marketing
• retailing
• wholesaling
• vending
• horse-trading
• rebuying
• underselling
• dealing
• trading
• monopolizing
• cornering
• fair-trading
• engrossing
• picking up
• speculating
• investing
• day-trading

Dissimilar Words

• boycotting
• blacking
• blackballing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of smuggling

Noun

Federal officials said the convictions are part of a broader effort to dismantle criminal networks that exploit migrants for profit while targeting the organizations responsible for human trafficking and alien smuggling inside the United States. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026

In hard years, Noe Terrebonne, the great-great-grandson of Acadian exiles, would do a bit of smuggling for Li Shan, the Chinese proprietor of a shrimp-drying platform on Bayou Andre, in the marsh north-west of Cheniere Disparue. — Literary Hub, 16 July 2026

Gang bosses had enjoyed surreal luxuries inside — a zoo, a discotheque, a cockfight arena — while directing rackets that had spread across the hemisphere as Tren de Aragua took control of smuggling routes and victimized Venezuelan immigrants. — Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, 10 July 2026

The economics of smuggling meant that higher THC — the main psychoactive ingredient — led to higher profits. — Peter Grinspoon, STAT, 9 July 2026

Earlier this year, a Times investigation revealed ICE deported an informant who had turned against two of his co-defendants in a meth smuggling case. — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

That line began to fall apart shortly after the initial killings when top officials acknowledged to lawmakers that the strikes were aimed at cocaine smuggling. — Marie-Rose Sheinerman, The Atlantic, 6 July 2026

And smuggling was rampant, making official records even less reliable. — James Doubek, NPR, 3 July 2026

In the first weeks of the war, the Syrian military sent reinforcements to the border with Lebanon, which officials said aimed to stop cross-border weapons smuggling or any spillover of the conflict. — ABC News, 28 June 2026

Verb

Probation officers and staff members have been charged with smuggling drugs into the facility in the last year. — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026

Several recent cases linked to smuggling Nvidia’s AI chips into China to circumvent export controls show the appetite for its technology. — ABC News, 29 June 2026

In 2023, a then-medical assistant working for Avid Healthcare Services was charged with smuggling meth into the jail. — Theresa Clift, Sacbee.com, 16 June 2026

Just days ago, officials said Indonesian authorities arrested two Russian nationals suspected of smuggling drugs into Bali after a high-speed car chase hit several pedestrians. — CBS News, 11 June 2026

Bootleggers smuggling various liquors like whiskey and gin found that the soft drink was particularly good at making these spirits easier to drink. — Andrea Romano, Travel + Leisure, 9 June 2026

From 2014 to 2018 alone, prosecutors allege, Ghomi is accused of smuggling more than 250 metric tons of networking equipment into Iran. — Sean Emery, Oc Register, 3 June 2026

In June 2025, the Justice Department charged three Chinese citizens who did research at U-M with smuggling biological hazards into the United States. — John Wisely, Freep.com, 3 June 2026

While little is known about the nephew at this time, El Chapo is notorious for leading the Sinaloa Cartel and smuggling drugs into the United States. — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 26 May 2026