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

Worries over espionage and tech smuggling to China have grown as authorities continue to prosecute cases. — ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026 Goode dives into the underworld of exotic animal smuggling, a billion-dollar criminal enterprise driven by obsession over rare species. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026 Investigators later determined the pilot had previously been involved in prior drug smuggling assignments. — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 7 Aug. 2026 The takedown of the group underscored the highly professional and lucrative nature of migrant and drug smuggling operations in the narrow sea that separates Europe from North Africa. — Mike Corder, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026 As a lifelong lover of reptiles, Eric Goode has known about the world of exotic reptile smuggling for decades. — Rory Doherty, Time, 6 Aug. 2026 Goode charts the exploitation and mistreatment of reptiles that are illegally sold and sometimes endangered through intricate, decades-old smuggling operations that have often, but not always, escaped detection at airports. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2026 We're invested in reptile-smuggling documentary series Monsters of God, a new season of Conan O'Brien Must Go, movies from A24 and Lionsgate, and more. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 30 July 2026

Verb

The Civil Guard said the operation with Ecuador’s National Police, which was overseen by Europol, targeted a ring that was financed by investors in Dubai and was smuggling drugs from South America into Spain in shipping containers. — ABC News, 5 Aug. 2026 On July 20, the Department of Justice announced that three Mexican men pleaded guilty to smuggling hundreds of people south from Canada into New York, then transferring them to the Midwest. — Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 29 July 2026 Probation officers and staff members have been charged with smuggling drugs into the facility in the last year. — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026 Just days ago, officials said Indonesian authorities arrested two Russian nationals suspected of smuggling drugs into Bali after a high-speed car chase hit several pedestrians. — CBS News, 11 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for smuggling

Noun

Kenya has previously recorded incidents of elephants being poisoned as a result of poaching and human-wildlife conflict.

— CBS News, CBS News, 29 July 2026
Their primary threats are habitat loss and poaching, and wild populations have declined by at least 80 percent over three generations.

— Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 29 July 2026

Definition of poaching

Verb

Seat counts have stopped predicting anything, which means the pricing model underneath thirty years of enterprise software is now unstable in both directions, and everybody selling it knows.

— Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Former homes are now occupied by spice warehouses and stores selling antiques and handicrafts.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of selling

Verb

That would guarantee exclusive 45-day theatrical windows and a moratorium on distributing the movies on streaming services for at least 90 days, with potentially financial penalties if Paramount failed to hold up its end of the bargain.

— Todd Spangler, Variety, 9 Aug. 2026
Cardinal is a behind-the-scenes healthcare giant, distributing drugs and medical supplies to hospitals and pharmacies.

— Zev Fima,Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of distributing

Noun

Members of the Montreal City Police Department found the weapon, a Glock 26, on August 30, 2024, when officers raided a home in relation to a kidnapping investigation, court records show.

— Mark Morales, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026
The Malheur standoff also drew in the FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team, which Northern California sheriffs credited for talking down the Henrichsens and ending last month’s kidnapping without bloodshed.

— Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of kidnapping

Verb

Frank Cascio and his siblings Dominic, Marie-Nicole, and Aldo filed their trafficking lawsuit in Los Angeles federal court last February.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 13 Aug. 2026
The administration awarded another contract worth up to $244 million to Our Rescue, an anti-child-trafficking organization based in Sandy, Utah.

— ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 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

Verb

Trade data show China has fully transitioned from providing mostly low cost manufacturing to supplying vital machinery and components for advanced manufacturing.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026
The supply hub will initially support the 100-truck logistics fleet while also supplying industrial customers, utilities, transportation operators, energy infrastructure projects, and data centers across the Gulf Coast.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of supplying

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 14 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of smuggling

noun

verb

Example Sentences

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