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
Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025
The administration then brought him back to face smuggling charges in Tennessee that dated back to a 2022 traffic stop.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025
The junta works with the KNA on business ventures in mining, utilities, and smuggling, and KNA leader Saw Chit Thu has made high-profile donations to powerful Buddhist leaders with close ties to the junta.
—Dan Swift, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2025
Vicki Brambl, an assistant federal public defender in Tucson, Arizona, says certain risk factors—like a prior criminal history, drug use or growing up in a low-income household—can increase the likelihood someone will get involved with smuggling.
—Avery Schmitz, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025
This is the wild true story of how Owen Hanson went from backup quarterback to a leader in the drug-smuggling scene.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 26 Sep. 2025
His framing instead relied on the dubious proposition that drug smuggling is tantamount to violent aggression.
—Jacob Sullum, Oc Register, 25 Sep. 2025
Israel has enforced a naval blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized control in 2007, saying it is needed to prevent weapons smuggling.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2025
The slayings occurred just days after an HSI agent from San Diego had interviewed Murillo and Hernandez about their roles in the smuggling and trafficking organization.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Sep. 2025
Barry Levitt, Time, 26 Sep. 2025
Yunqing Jian was accused in the case of smuggling a fungus that federal prosecutors said can cause a disease in crops.
—Christina Hall, Freep.com, 19 Sep. 2025
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
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
In a similar case in March, another Chinese national, Sai Keung Tin, also known as Ricky Tin, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for smuggling more than 2,100 eastern box turtles, the DOJ said at the time.
—Chelsea Chan, NBC news, 12 Aug. 2025
Verb
Officials argue that this framing grants Washington broader legal and military latitude to act against foreign groups involved in narcotics smuggling.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025
The administration then brought him back to face smuggling charges in Tennessee that dated back to a 2022 traffic stop.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025
The junta works with the KNA on business ventures in mining, utilities, and smuggling, and KNA leader Saw Chit Thu has made high-profile donations to powerful Buddhist leaders with close ties to the junta.
—Dan Swift, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2025
Vicki Brambl, an assistant federal public defender in Tucson, Arizona, says certain risk factors—like a prior criminal history, drug use or growing up in a low-income household—can increase the likelihood someone will get involved with smuggling.
—Avery Schmitz, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025
This is the wild true story of how Owen Hanson went from backup quarterback to a leader in the drug-smuggling scene.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 26 Sep. 2025
His framing instead relied on the dubious proposition that drug smuggling is tantamount to violent aggression.
—Jacob Sullum, Oc Register, 25 Sep. 2025
Israel has enforced a naval blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized control in 2007, saying it is needed to prevent weapons smuggling.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2025
The slayings occurred just days after an HSI agent from San Diego had interviewed Murillo and Hernandez about their roles in the smuggling and trafficking organization.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Sep. 2025
Noun
Unable to land a starting spot on the team, Hanson turned to drugs to get ahead, smuggling in steroids from Tijuana to gain a physical advantage.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 26 Sep. 2025
Yunqing Jian was accused in the case of smuggling a fungus that federal prosecutors said can cause a disease in crops.
—Christina Hall, Freep.com, 19 Sep. 2025
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
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
In a similar case in March, another Chinese national, Sai Keung Tin, also known as Ricky Tin, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for smuggling more than 2,100 eastern box turtles, the DOJ said at the time.
—Chelsea Chan, NBC news, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smuggling
Verb
-
Initially intended for the streets, the class has evolved to include off-road models in recent years, such as the best-selling Ford F-150 Raptor.—
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
7 Oct. 2025
-
With the decision to hand over the center, the city dropped the idea of selling it.—
Shannon Tyler,
Idaho Statesman,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
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They can also be used as teaching aids when educating the public on the dangers of plant poaching, an issue Blackwell says many people aren’t aware of.—
John Leos,
AZCentral.com,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Between poaching and loss of nesting sites in countries like Indonesia, scientists now estimate their numbers in the northeastern Indian Ocean as less than 1,000 females.—
M. Rajshekhar,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Attorneys for the Justice Department argued that halting the reallocations could delay distributing the funds to other states DHS had identified as higher priority under its new approach.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
-
The project was originally inspired by a brochure, In Case of Emergency or War, which the Ukrainian Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security began distributing to the public a few weeks before the invasion in early 2022.—
Joanna Warsza,
Artforum,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Any such seizures, Putin warned, would be considered piracy and could destabilize the global oil market.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Oct. 2025
-
The 42-year-old tech leader has been at the helm since Spotify’s inception, when the company sought to revolutionize a music industry where iTunes dominated and music piracy via sites like LimeWire and Napster was flourishing.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Hollywood has been trafficking in remakes for well over a century, swapping out casts and repackaging stories for each generation.—
George Yang,
Rolling Stone,
30 Sep. 2025
-
William Grayson, 3 Fairland Street, Roxbury, trafficking in cocaine.—
Matthew Medsger,
Boston Herald,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
There’s something about kidnapping that scares the fear out of you, Goldberg-Polin says.—
Romina Ruiz-Goiriena,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
-
How a squad had burst into that house, taken away the adults, and left the children behind, all witnesses to the kidnapping.—
Mariana Enriquez
October 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
And while OpenAI is not yet profitable, chipmakers like Nvidia and TSMC supplying the AI boom are awash in earnings amid high demand.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
3 Oct. 2025
-
The United States has so far not announced any decision on supplying Tomahawks to Ukraine.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Stock it with a portable air filter or air cleaner, and consider buying N95 face masks.—
Andrea Riquier,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Mississippi shoppers couldn't get enough candy corn last year, buying a whopping 92% more of the sweet treat than the national average, according to the Instacart study.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smuggling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smuggling. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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