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

Cameron’s troubled youth reached a crescendo when he was sentenced to five years in federal prison for drug smuggling, with an additional sentence for drug possession in prison — serving seven years in the end. — Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026 The indictment mentions evidence of the smuggling that took place in 2024, with Earthmade Computer buying dozens of high-end servers and shipping them overseas. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 2 Oct. 2026 Emails and bank records exposed the smuggling scheme, the DOJ alleged, which started in October 2023 and continued until August 2026. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 2 Oct. 2026 Lui faces charges for export-control conspiracy, outbound smuggling and money-laundering conspiracy. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2026 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

Verb

The owner of a San Gabriel Valley technology company was arrested Thursday after federal prosecutors charged him with smuggling more than $300 million of restricted computer hardware to China. — Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026 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

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

Many advisors also aim to reduce your lifetime tax bill with such strategies as selling profitable assets during your lower income years.

— Kate Dore, CFP®, EA,Kelli Grant, CFP®, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
Fremantle, which has a first-look deal with Me+You, is selling the show globally.

— Max Goldbart, Deadline, 8 Oct. 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

Deablo wears the green dot for the Falcons’ defense, giving him the responsibility of distributing play calls to his teammates.

— Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 3 Oct. 2026
The rollout included distributing the new shoe across 5,000 doors, twice the average for a Nike basketball signature shoe, Hill explained.

— Stephen Garner, Footwear News, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of distributing

Noun

In May, Tony Carruthers, who was convicted of kidnapping and murdering three people in 1994, was not executed because officials could not find a suitable vein for an IV line, so the drugs were not administered.

— Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Singh previously pleaded guilty to numerous charges, including murder for hire, kidnapping and causing the death of a person through the use of a firearm during a crime of violence, federal prosecutors said in the news release.

— Angie DiMichele, Sun Sentinel, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of kidnapping

Verb

Police didn’t say if the drivers were charged with any crime, like, maybe trafficking furniture or grand theft ottoman.

— Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 1 Oct. 2026
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

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

Browse Nearby Words

smuggles

smuggling

smugness

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Style

“Smuggling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smuggling. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of smuggling

noun

verb

Example Sentences

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