smuggler

noun

smug·​gler ˈsmə-glər 

plural smugglers

: one who smuggles something

The traffic in drugs—especially cocaine—to Florida by sea and air from South America has been generating wealth to rival that of the tourist trade and attracting a cadre of ingenious and ruthless smugglers from around the world.

—Jeremiah Tax

In nearby Nogales smugglers tunnel 6 ft. under the border and funnel people through.

—Terry McCarthy

Officials in Paraguay raided a wildlife smuggling operation in its capital city, Asunción, on March 25, recovering two critically endangered Brazilian parrots, which Paraguayan smugglers had hoped to sell in West Germany for $40,000.

—Focus

Synonyms

• bootlegger
• contrabandist
• courier
• runner

Examples of smuggler in a Sentence

during Prohibition, smugglers of alcohol did a brisk business

Recent Examples on the Web

Italy last year bore the brunt of irregular immigration into Europe, and Ms. Meloni had come to power on promises to stop smugglers from bringing people into the bloc. —Nick Squires, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Oct. 2024

Vance orders his team—including Torres in a snazzy suit and tie, all his buttons buttoned—to get out there and save his woman, thereby keeping the Caribbean waterways safe for everyone except diamond smugglers. —EW.com, 22 Oct. 2024

For gentlemen smugglers, the most convenient format was the ingot. —Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 22 July 2024

Officials fight the flow of contraband through the arrest of smugglers and mass searches. —Jeff Martin, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1661, in the meaning defined above