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.
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as in poaching
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smuggling
Christina Hall, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
Eight metro Detroit men are accused in a sophisticated theft and international smuggling operation that targeted higher-end vehicles and spanned two years, according to federal prosecutors in Detroit.
—Christina Hall, Freep.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Cartels are already using drones for smuggling, scouting and dropping bombs.
—David Hambling, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
The militias are powerful and, because of their control of smuggling and other criminal activity, profitable.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
While the gang has principally focused on human trafficking and other crimes targeting migrants, it has also been linked to extortion, kidnapping, money laundering and drug smuggling, according to the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
—Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
Abrego Garcia’s lawyer, Sean Hecker, said the administration attempted to offer him removal to Costa Rica in exchange for pleading guilty to two smuggling charges.
—Evan Mealins, The Tennessean, 30 Aug. 2025
Given the recent history of gold smuggling from South America to South Florida, their quest to get the case dismissed will be a long shot.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 30 Aug. 2025
The 30-year-old Salvadoran national is currently awaiting trial on federal human smuggling charges.
—Sonam Sheth
anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
In it, prosecutors offered him the chance to be deported to Costa Rica in exchange for remaining in jail until his trial and pleading guilty to charges of smuggling undocumented immigrants across the United States.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 27 Aug. 2025
While in prison, Bundy escaped twice, and it is believed that Boone assisted his escapes by smuggling him cash, per Rolling Stone.
—Makena Gera, People.com, 26 Aug. 2025
There are also concerns about the misuse of needed expertise and resources of ATF agents who need to be targeting the cartels who are smuggling firearms, improving forensic tools for criminal investigations.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2025
In recent years, thieves have pulled off elaborate heists of rare, million-dollar collectible cars, sometimes smuggling them out of their country of origin, retrofitting them with fake paperwork, and reselling them on the international market.
—Stayton Bonner, Robb Report, 24 Aug. 2025
Heng had been involved in smuggling the fish in luggage and selling them, but he was only charged with possession, prosecutors said.
—Miguel Torres, AZCentral.com, 21 Aug. 2025
They are accused of smuggling a fungus that causes a disease in wheat, barley, maize and rice so that Liu could research the pathogen at a U-M lab where Jian works.
—Christina Hall, Freep.com, 19 Aug. 2025
In March, a Chinese citizen named Sai Keung Tin was sentenced to 30 months in prison for smuggling more than 2,000 turtles from the United States to Hong Kong over about five years, federal prosecutors said.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2025
Verb
Eight metro Detroit men are accused in a sophisticated theft and international smuggling operation that targeted higher-end vehicles and spanned two years, according to federal prosecutors in Detroit.
—Christina Hall, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
Eight metro Detroit men are accused in a sophisticated theft and international smuggling operation that targeted higher-end vehicles and spanned two years, according to federal prosecutors in Detroit.
—Christina Hall, Freep.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Cartels are already using drones for smuggling, scouting and dropping bombs.
—David Hambling, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
The militias are powerful and, because of their control of smuggling and other criminal activity, profitable.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
While the gang has principally focused on human trafficking and other crimes targeting migrants, it has also been linked to extortion, kidnapping, money laundering and drug smuggling, according to the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
—Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
Abrego Garcia’s lawyer, Sean Hecker, said the administration attempted to offer him removal to Costa Rica in exchange for pleading guilty to two smuggling charges.
—Evan Mealins, The Tennessean, 30 Aug. 2025
Given the recent history of gold smuggling from South America to South Florida, their quest to get the case dismissed will be a long shot.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 30 Aug. 2025
The 30-year-old Salvadoran national is currently awaiting trial on federal human smuggling charges.
—Sonam Sheth
anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
Noun
Federal agents stopped three boats that were en route to South Florida from the Bahamas and were smuggling large loads of cocaine and dozens of Chinese migrants last week, according to court documents.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
In it, prosecutors offered him the chance to be deported to Costa Rica in exchange for remaining in jail until his trial and pleading guilty to charges of smuggling undocumented immigrants across the United States.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 27 Aug. 2025
While in prison, Bundy escaped twice, and it is believed that Boone assisted his escapes by smuggling him cash, per Rolling Stone.
—Makena Gera, People.com, 26 Aug. 2025
There are also concerns about the misuse of needed expertise and resources of ATF agents who need to be targeting the cartels who are smuggling firearms, improving forensic tools for criminal investigations.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2025
In recent years, thieves have pulled off elaborate heists of rare, million-dollar collectible cars, sometimes smuggling them out of their country of origin, retrofitting them with fake paperwork, and reselling them on the international market.
—Stayton Bonner, Robb Report, 24 Aug. 2025
Heng had been involved in smuggling the fish in luggage and selling them, but he was only charged with possession, prosecutors said.
—Miguel Torres, AZCentral.com, 21 Aug. 2025
They are accused of smuggling a fungus that causes a disease in wheat, barley, maize and rice so that Liu could research the pathogen at a U-M lab where Jian works.
—Christina Hall, Freep.com, 19 Aug. 2025
In March, a Chinese citizen named Sai Keung Tin was sentenced to 30 months in prison for smuggling more than 2,000 turtles from the United States to Hong Kong over about five years, federal prosecutors said.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smuggling
Verb
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Not only were there tons of pickup trucks and SUVs to see, there was also live music, taco trucks and even a shop selling cowboy boots and hats.—
Keenan Thompson,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Google will pay $435 for the Pixel 7 Pro, which is selling for under $150 on eBay in some cases.—
Janhoi McGregor,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Originally, the patrols were conducting conservation work to monitor poaching and wildlife in the Khwae Noi River basin.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Aug. 2025
-
Payton thinks his team will be getting poached this summer rather than doing the poaching.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
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If National Public Radio had begun distributing Bibles and handguns, well, people would have wanted to talk and write about that, too.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
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This is how Cintas Acuario was born in the late 1980s — a label that, without any formal facilities, gained a reputation thanks to its founder’s knack for promoting and marketing his artists’ music by distributing it to small shops in the area and in Tijuana, across the Mexican border.—
Tere Aguilera,
Billboard,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The piracy network showed unauthorized streams of NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL games, as well as soccer matches from England’s Premier League, Spain’s La Liga, and other European leagues, plus games from Major League Soccer, UEFA competitions, and qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup.—
Scharon Harding,
ArsTechnica,
4 Sep. 2025
-
For years, the financial risk of digital piracy was a manageable cost of doing business for China's tech giants.—
Vivian Toh,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
In a terse statement confirming only the broad outlines of the incident, the Pentagon equated Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government to a narco-trafficking cartel, allegations Caracas denies.—
Phil Stewart,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Trump has previously ordered certain drug cartels — including five Mexican syndicates — to be designated as foreign terrorist organizations, and last month signed a Pentagon directive initiating the use of military force against drug trafficking groups.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Perceived risks for all travelers including terrorism, kidnapping, and disease actually occur less frequently than road injuries.—
Tanya Mohn,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Eventually, the San Bernardino Sheriff's Eventually, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department publicly alleged that a kidnapping had not occurred, and that Emmanuel was believed dead.—
Chris Spargo,
PEOPLE,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In Ryan Coogler’s 2025 blockbuster, Sinners, Wunmi Mosaku plays a woman named Annie, who makes a living by supplying her neighbors in Clarksdale, Mississippi, with homemade medicinal cures.—
Danielle Amir Jackson,
The Atlantic,
4 Sep. 2025
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Ukrainian and Western governments have accused North Korea of supplying significant amounts of ammunition and troops to support Russia's war, while Kyiv and its NATO backers have identified China as Moscow's prime source of materiel and a vital economic lifeline.—
Leah Sarnoff,
ABC News,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Cannon-Brookes wouldn’t specify whether Atlassian considered buying Google’s browser.—
Jordan Novet,
CNBC,
4 Sep. 2025
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And sometimes, buying prepared bamboo shoots in a can is the easiest way to spruce up a dish.—
Sophie Carson,
jsonline.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smuggling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smuggling. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
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