SMUGGLING Synonyms: 80 Similar and Opposite Words

smuggling 1 of 2

noun

as in poaching

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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.

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Dissimilar Words

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 smuggling

Noun

Mamadou Sidibé stars as Malik, a young African immigrant, who must try to survive after being incarcerated for drug smuggling. — Carole Horst, Variety, 24 Sep. 2026 Take a look inside Asia’s secretive world of plant invention and seed smuggling. — Gina Park, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026 Duva said the disappearance offers a brutal look at the danger posed by transnational smuggling organizations that turn vulnerable migrants into commodities while pursuing routes toward the United States. — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2026 Nanhoe is now facing federal charges in Miami of smuggling goods from the United States, delivering firearms to a common carrier without providing notice and trafficking in firearms. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2026 Sources state thatNew York leads the nation in inbound cigarette smuggling, with more than half of the cigarettes consumed in the state originating from illicit sources. — Ascend Agency, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 2026 The Spanish and Moroccan governments have blamed a viral social-media misinformation campaign by smuggling gangs. — Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026 Mexican drug cartels are increasingly turning to tunnels built for drug smuggling to ferry migrants into the United States. — Steve Fisher, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026 Such drones can also be used to continuously monitor for things like submarine activity at a location, or act as a watchdog for activities like smuggling. — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026

Verb

Sanon and several associates flew to Haiti from South Florida on a private jet, smuggling a handful of ballistic vests supplied by a Doral-area security company, prosecutors said. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026 With the goal of smuggling themselves to Turkey, the women are eventually found out for keeping a secret or two from the conspirators abetting their plan. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2026 The brave and resourceful Alice escaped the Nazis, smuggling her grandchildren to safety in England. — Barbara Spindel, Christian Science Monitor, 2 Sep. 2026 Nia then persuades Tefa to join her in smuggling cell phones into the regional prison. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2026 At night, Axira leads a secret operation, smuggling the ruler’s Heartfillers — until one mistake results in her execution date, per the book’s synopsis. — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026 Nia persuades Tefa to join her in smuggling cellphones into the regional prison. — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 23 Aug. 2026 Attackers can capitalize on the predilection by smuggling harmful instructions into emails or webpages the assistant is instructed to summarize. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 20 Aug. 2026 Prosecutors said Santana was paid thousands in bribes for smuggling contraband into the facility between May 2024 and June 2025. — Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for smuggling

Noun

Too often, environmental advocates insist on the elimination of poaching, logging, and other harmful activities while remaining wholly unfamiliar with the factors at play that lead to predation, neglect, and abuse of nature.

— Juliet Kinsman, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026
Remove the skin for recipes that require poaching, steaming, or slow-roasting, which will result in soft, gummy skin.

— Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of poaching

Verb

Francesca Breccia’s Coccinelle Film Sales is handling the film and will start selling it to international buyers during Busan’s Asian Contents & Film Market.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 1 Oct. 2026
Although the tapes won’t be part of the planned auction, Littleton is going forward with selling previously unpublished photos of the band, studio material, set lists, a tour parka, instruments the band owned, and other items.

— Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of selling

Noun

Yet after years of calls for tech and ISPs to take a greater responsibility to curb infringement, the legislation would be a new tool for studios, producers and other content creators to curb piracy.

— Ted Johnson, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026
Many movie theaters in the UK are also banning the use of smart glasses due to piracy concerns, the UK Cinema Association (UKCA) said late last month.

— Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of piracy

Verb

The news organizations take turns filming the president's activities -- rotating in alphabetical order by network name -- and distributing that footage to the other members.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Sep. 2026
In Long Beach, where waves slammed into the seawall and homes, crews have been reinforcing portions of the boardwalk and are distributing sandbags.

— Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of distributing

Noun

The Grants offer Seema up as a scullery maid to make amends with the Frasers for all that kidnapping business, but Arch Bug really just wants to know if Henry returns for Julia.

— Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026
Two other members of the kidnapping ring became government cooperators.

— John Annese, New York Daily News, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of kidnapping

Verb

Paul Robinson, the Pittsburgh attorney and father charged in the alleged Penn State fraternity cocaine trafficking ring, has spoken out about the case for the first time since being indicted last month.

— Mike Darnay, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026
Despite a major drug- and gold-trafficking scandal allegedly involving some senior PAM members, several of whom were sentenced to prison, the party weathered the political fallout and won more seats than in the previous election.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of trafficking

Noun

Historical context and origins Before the rise of the Mongol empire, trade across Eurasia along the Silk Road network was frequently disrupted by warfare, political fragmentation, heavy taxation, and banditry.

— Ethan Teekah, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Aug. 2026
Robin quickly and viscerally dispatches his foe, before going up against a larger swath of enemies who are targeting his former partner-in-banditry Little John (played by Bill Skarsgård).

— David Sims, The Atlantic, 17 June 2026

Definition of banditry

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smuggles

smuggling

smugness

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Style

“Smuggling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smuggling. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of smuggling

noun

verb

Example Sentences

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