as in poaching
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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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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
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
This process, however, led to some accusing Gilgan of smuggling full-on undisclosed AI slop into the pages of the paper of record.
—Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 9 Apr. 2026
Shares rose 4% after the company revealed on Tuesday that two independent members of the company's board are conducting an investigation regarding the indictment of employees accused of smuggling Nvidia chips to China.
—Davis Giangiulio,darla Mercado, Cfp®, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2026
Pauli argued that some additional, invisible particle must be smuggling the leftover energy into the world.
—Quanta Magazine, 8 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
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
This process, however, led to some accusing Gilgan of smuggling full-on undisclosed AI slop into the pages of the paper of record.
—Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 9 Apr. 2026
Shares rose 4% after the company revealed on Tuesday that two independent members of the company's board are conducting an investigation regarding the indictment of employees accused of smuggling Nvidia chips to China.
—Davis Giangiulio,darla Mercado, Cfp®, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2026
Pauli argued that some additional, invisible particle must be smuggling the leftover energy into the world.
—Quanta Magazine, 8 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
-
Kidd had been commissioned to protect English vessels against pirates and the French, but after taking an Indian ship with an English captain in 1698, he was accused of piracy.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
-
Gulf Arab nations, chief among them the United Arab Emirates, have decried Iran’s control of the strait as akin to piracy.—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Instead of distributing the same braking pressure across all four wheels, the software continuously adjusts force at every corner of the vehicle.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
7 May 2026
-
Valero, a multinational energy corporation with 15 refineries across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, has flexibility in sourcing crude, refining products and distributing fuel.—
Robert Romano,
Boston Herald,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
Niebla-Machado gave the agent a firearm and a Dodge Ram pickup truck as a down payment for the kidnapping, according to court records.—
Kendrick Calfee
May 8,
Kansas City Star,
8 May 2026
-
This came partly because of two ransom notes received from a person claiming to have information about the kidnapping.—
StyleCaster Editors,
StyleCaster,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
The Home Office has argued the government is increasing enforcement efforts against trafficking gangs and strengthening cooperation with France.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
-
Jackson County prosecutors have charged two Kansas City residents with trafficking fentanyl that authorities believe is tied to seven overdoses in the Prospect Avenue Corridor.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
2 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 13 May. 2026.
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