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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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Recent Examples of smuggling
Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 12 June 2026
Authorities across the region have linked the group to human trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, contract killings, drug trafficking and migrant smuggling.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 12 June 2026
The profits from smuggling helped cement an alliance between a faction of Tigray’s military commanders and their Eritrean counterparts, who had fought on opposing sides of the previous war.
—Claire Wilmot & Gisa Tunbridge, The Dial, 12 June 2026
The 55-year-old was suspected in a series of large-scale drug smuggling operations, according to the Australian Federal Police.
—CBS News, 11 June 2026
His testimony is essentially a detailed indictment of enforcement failures — smuggling, remote access loopholes, the Blackwell gap, lax Entity List additions, distillation attacks — and a call to pass a specific package of bipartisan bills.
—Mayra Rodriguez Valladares, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
In March, the company said a co-founder resigned from its board after he was named in a federal indictment over allegations of smuggling equipment containing Nvidia AI chips into China.
—Jordan Novet, CNBC, 9 June 2026
In 2025, Lithuania took Belarus to the International Court of Justice, accusing the Lukashenko government of organizing large-scale migrant smuggling into Lithuania.
—Tatsiana Kulakevich, The Conversation, 4 June 2026
Even if the administration had evidence of drug smuggling, that is not the same thing as a conviction; and even if these people had a conviction, federal law does not establish capital punishment for drug trafficking.
—David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 4 June 2026
CBS News, 9 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
In 2023, a then-medical assistant working for Avid Healthcare Services was charged with smuggling meth into the jail.
—Theresa Clift
may 29, Sacbee.com, 29 May 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
Congress is playing a role Congress has added to the pressure on nonprofits by holding hearings that have accused some of them of smuggling undocumented immigrants and alleging that others made improper payments to former Biden administration officials.
—Christopher Justin Einolf, The Conversation, 22 May 2026
So yes, one very important achievement is that Hamas cannot really strengthen itself militarily, because Israel controls the Philadelphi Corridor, which prevents Hamas from smuggling weapons into Gaza.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 19 May 2026
Noun
The United Arab Emirates has become the main destination for conflict minerals from the Central African Republic, placing Dubai at the center of a lucrative trade in gold and diamonds tied to armed groups and foreign smuggling networks, according to a new investigation.
—Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 12 June 2026
Authorities across the region have linked the group to human trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, contract killings, drug trafficking and migrant smuggling.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 12 June 2026
The profits from smuggling helped cement an alliance between a faction of Tigray’s military commanders and their Eritrean counterparts, who had fought on opposing sides of the previous war.
—Claire Wilmot & Gisa Tunbridge, The Dial, 12 June 2026
The 55-year-old was suspected in a series of large-scale drug smuggling operations, according to the Australian Federal Police.
—CBS News, 11 June 2026
His testimony is essentially a detailed indictment of enforcement failures — smuggling, remote access loopholes, the Blackwell gap, lax Entity List additions, distillation attacks — and a call to pass a specific package of bipartisan bills.
—Mayra Rodriguez Valladares, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
In March, the company said a co-founder resigned from its board after he was named in a federal indictment over allegations of smuggling equipment containing Nvidia AI chips into China.
—Jordan Novet, CNBC, 9 June 2026
In 2025, Lithuania took Belarus to the International Court of Justice, accusing the Lukashenko government of organizing large-scale migrant smuggling into Lithuania.
—Tatsiana Kulakevich, The Conversation, 4 June 2026
Even if the administration had evidence of drug smuggling, that is not the same thing as a conviction; and even if these people had a conviction, federal law does not establish capital punishment for drug trafficking.
—David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 4 June 2026
Verb
Two British men were sentenced in March to nine and 11 years in prison respectively after they were found guilty of smuggling cocaine into Bali.
—CBS News, 9 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
In 2023, a then-medical assistant working for Avid Healthcare Services was charged with smuggling meth into the jail.
—Theresa Clift
may 29, Sacbee.com, 29 May 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
Congress is playing a role Congress has added to the pressure on nonprofits by holding hearings that have accused some of them of smuggling undocumented immigrants and alleging that others made improper payments to former Biden administration officials.
—Christopher Justin Einolf, The Conversation, 22 May 2026
So yes, one very important achievement is that Hamas cannot really strengthen itself militarily, because Israel controls the Philadelphi Corridor, which prevents Hamas from smuggling weapons into Gaza.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 19 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smuggling
Noun
-
The school also runs a cooking basics program that covers mise en place, knife skills, soup and stock production, sauce making and a wide range of cooking methods — roasting, grilling, sautéing, pan-frying, stir-frying, braising, poaching and steaming.—
Lauren Schuster,
Miami Herald,
9 June 2026
-
That same basics camp walks students through roasting, grilling, sautéing, pan-frying, stir-frying, braising, poaching and steaming.—
Lauren Schuster,
Kansas City Star,
9 June 2026
Verb
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In 2010, the judge granted a permanent injunction, requiring, among other things, that the farm stop selling raw milk beyond California and take down any statements promoting its health benefits.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
-
The United Arab Emirates, which has used a pipeline to get some supplies around the strait, has also been selling oil from inside the Persian Gulf to customers in Asia.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
14 June 2026
Noun
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The Ministry’s partnership with the MPA’s anti-piracy coalition, the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), led to the takedown last year of Streameast, live-sports piracy ring.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
2 June 2026
-
The issue of fraud and piracy, particularly related to the sale of counterfeit tickets, is a problem that experts and officials warn could happen in any part of the country.—
Michael Rios,
CNN Money,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
The service has allowed some community building to develop, from distributing food or participating in World Cup collectible sticker books.—
Amna Subhan for the AJC,
AJC.com,
11 June 2026
-
Hence, the firms distributing the shares will split approximately $646 million in fees.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
Lawyers for the former FedEx driver who is accused of kidnapping and killing 7-year-old Athena Strand in 2022 want the suspect’s police interviews thrown out, new court filings say.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Dec. 2025
-
Walker has been charged with four counts of kidnapping to commit robbery, one count of first-degree robbery in concert and one count of first-degree burglary, all of which are felonies.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
10 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
When Tate was arrested on human-trafficking charges, his allies defended him.—
Heidi Blake,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
-
Eight bodies have been found in plastic bags in a southwestern narco-trafficking hotspot, where eight people went missing on Sunday, Ecuadoran police said Wednesday.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
3 June 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
Verb
-
The company said the move doesn't change its commitment to supplying its customers.—
CJ Haddad,
CNBC,
16 June 2026
-
ImportYeti does show Lianzhou Technologies supplying imports to TP-Link.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smuggling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smuggling. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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