as in poaching
Related Words
Relevance
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
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
Jim Cramer, CNBC, 12 May 2026
The story is inspired by true events that saw a Vice Canada editor recruit drug mules for an international cocaine smuggling operation, including out of the media giant’s offices.
—Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 11 May 2026
Union Pacific has worked with authorities for years to address drug smuggling and trespassers trying to cross the border on trains.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2026
Musician/Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard has lined up his next major film role, signing on to star in director Matt Johnson’s untitled true-crime drama based on a bizarre real-life cocaine smuggling operation tied to Vice Canada.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 11 May 2026
Cantu, a majority shareholder of the company Mefra Fletes, is accused of smuggling fuel via boats and is allegedly affiliated with the Northeast Cartel.
—CBS News, 11 May 2026
The same year, Russian authorities convicted schoolteacher Marc Fogel of drug smuggling after he was arrested for marijuana possession.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 10 May 2026
Humberto Cruz, one of the San Diego Padres’ top pitching prospects, pleaded guilty in November to a federal misdemeanor related to a human smuggling operation in southern Arizona, according to court documents reviewed by The Athletic.
—Dennis Lin, New York Times, 9 May 2026
This year, its 21 state prisons have dealt with 75 drone smuggling incidents as of April 24 – and recorded 273 such incidents in 2025, according to a department spokesperson.
—Taylor Galgano, CNN Money, 3 May 2026
Jim Cramer, CNBC, 12 May 2026
Long before trial, six co-conspirators in the case had pleaded guilty to the conspiracy to kidnap or kill Moïse or to a lesser charge of smuggling the vests to the Colombians.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 8 May 2026
From Scritti Politti to Pet Shop Boys, synth pop has a long, proud tradition of smuggling social commentary inside the fizz.
—Michael Tedder, SPIN, 7 May 2026
The Australian policy of refusing to allow boat arrivals to settle has largely ended people smuggling from Southeast Asian ports in rickety fishing boats that had once thrived.
—ABC News, 6 May 2026
Two San Diego men have been sentenced for smuggling vulnerable birds into the United States, with one heading to prison and the other getting hit with thousands in fines.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office did charge Solis and Lopez, separately, in June and July 2025 — roughly a year after the allegations were made in the lawsuit — for allegedly smuggling Xanax into the county’s juvenile facilities.
—Jason Henry, Daily News, 24 Apr. 2026
The 23-year-old influencer appeared in court on April 24, where she was sentenced for her role in smuggling over 37 pounds of cannabis in a suitcase while traveling from Thailand to her home in Edinburgh in April 2025, reported the BBC and The Times.
—Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Jarvis then spent eight years evading the FBI in Paris, London and Ibiza, after an industrial sized hash-smuggling operation went wrong.
—Richard Johnson, New York Daily News, 19 Apr. 2026
Noun
Is the administration too worried about chip smuggling?
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 12 May 2026
The story is inspired by true events that saw a Vice Canada editor recruit drug mules for an international cocaine smuggling operation, including out of the media giant’s offices.
—Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 11 May 2026
Union Pacific has worked with authorities for years to address drug smuggling and trespassers trying to cross the border on trains.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2026
Musician/Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard has lined up his next major film role, signing on to star in director Matt Johnson’s untitled true-crime drama based on a bizarre real-life cocaine smuggling operation tied to Vice Canada.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 11 May 2026
Cantu, a majority shareholder of the company Mefra Fletes, is accused of smuggling fuel via boats and is allegedly affiliated with the Northeast Cartel.
—CBS News, 11 May 2026
The same year, Russian authorities convicted schoolteacher Marc Fogel of drug smuggling after he was arrested for marijuana possession.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 10 May 2026
Humberto Cruz, one of the San Diego Padres’ top pitching prospects, pleaded guilty in November to a federal misdemeanor related to a human smuggling operation in southern Arizona, according to court documents reviewed by The Athletic.
—Dennis Lin, New York Times, 9 May 2026
This year, its 21 state prisons have dealt with 75 drone smuggling incidents as of April 24 – and recorded 273 such incidents in 2025, according to a department spokesperson.
—Taylor Galgano, CNN Money, 3 May 2026
Verb
Super Micro tanked earlier this year after employees were charged with smuggling Nvidia chips into the country.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 12 May 2026
Long before trial, six co-conspirators in the case had pleaded guilty to the conspiracy to kidnap or kill Moïse or to a lesser charge of smuggling the vests to the Colombians.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 8 May 2026
From Scritti Politti to Pet Shop Boys, synth pop has a long, proud tradition of smuggling social commentary inside the fizz.
—Michael Tedder, SPIN, 7 May 2026
The Australian policy of refusing to allow boat arrivals to settle has largely ended people smuggling from Southeast Asian ports in rickety fishing boats that had once thrived.
—ABC News, 6 May 2026
Two San Diego men have been sentenced for smuggling vulnerable birds into the United States, with one heading to prison and the other getting hit with thousands in fines.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office did charge Solis and Lopez, separately, in June and July 2025 — roughly a year after the allegations were made in the lawsuit — for allegedly smuggling Xanax into the county’s juvenile facilities.
—Jason Henry, Daily News, 24 Apr. 2026
The 23-year-old influencer appeared in court on April 24, where she was sentenced for her role in smuggling over 37 pounds of cannabis in a suitcase while traveling from Thailand to her home in Edinburgh in April 2025, reported the BBC and The Times.
—Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Jarvis then spent eight years evading the FBI in Paris, London and Ibiza, after an industrial sized hash-smuggling operation went wrong.
—Richard Johnson, New York Daily News, 19 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smuggling
Noun
-
Viola recommends boiling, poaching, or low-heat scrambling your eggs to preserve their micronutrients.—
Mykenna Maniece,
Vogue,
8 May 2026
-
Their number continues to decline due poaching and habitat loss.—
Harriet Ramos
May 7,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
The best-selling tool has racked up thousands of five-star ratings, and more than 8,000 shoppers have picked one up in the past month.—
Toni Sutton,
PEOPLE,
10 May 2026
-
His mother worked multiple waitressing jobs before eventually running small businesses selling clothing and records.—
Hanna Park,
CNN Money,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
Suing Internet users a bad option Record labels seeking to stamp out piracy might try suing individuals instead of the broadband companies those individuals subscribe to.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
11 May 2026
-
Atlantic piracy had reached its peak, blockading the port of Charleston and choking off trade routes from the Caribbean to Long Island.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
The investigation allegedly identified Rodney Canada as the leader of a drug trafficking organization that was distributing large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine in Stamford and other areas in the region, authorities said.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
14 May 2026
-
This summer, Papa Johns will be bottling and distributing its Special Garlic Dipping Sauce to grocery and retail stores nationwide, the company announced in a May 13 news release shared with USA TODAY.—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
The case of Sherri Papini, the young woman who shocked the nation with a multi-year kidnapping hoax, has been the subject of multiple documentaries since her conviction in 2022.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
-
Federal authorities describe TdA as a sprawling transnational organization involved in drug trafficking, human trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, and killings across Latin America and increasingly inside the United States.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Guo and Schmidt operated a drug-trafficking organization that sourced protonitazene overseas and shipped the powdered substance to the United States, including Las Vegas, Miami and other places, the indictment alleged.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
12 May 2026
-
That shop, owned by Laurence Gray, closed after Gray was indicted alongside a Tucson man in 2025 with firearms trafficking.—
Nick Penzenstadler,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
In the northwest, criminal banditry has taken root in areas where state presence is thin.—
Yusuf Tuggar,
semafor.com,
16 Feb. 2026
-
In parts of the country, violent attacks, kidnappings and banditry shadow daily life.—
Vanessa Offiong,
CNN Money,
19 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
From the anti-Trump side, meanwhile, the American people hear a nervous rustling of vague doubts.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
3 Jan. 2026
-
In the teaser, above, Joanna, 47, can be seen speaking on-camera discussing the plans for the construction of the home on the balcony before a rustling can be heard coming from the woods behind her.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
27 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smuggling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smuggling. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
