bootlegger

noun

boot·​leg·​ger ˈbüt-ˌle-gər How to pronounce bootlegger (audio)
-ˌlā-
plural bootleggers
: one who bootlegs something: such as
a
: a person who makes or sells alcoholic liquor illegally
… in sleepy little St-Hilaire, once a Prohibition boom town, from which bootleggers smuggled truckloads of whisky into the U.S. …Will Ferguson
Most of us associate the pocket flask with the Roaring Twenties era of the bootlegger and the speakeasy …Linda Rosenkrantz
b
: a person who produces, reproduces, or distributes something (such as a recording) illicitly or without authorization
As part of his job, Schoenfeld is charged with ferreting out record bootleggers and protecting the copyright interests of record labels.Holly Gleason
… the conversation ran from how the different companies project returns on direct mail to efforts to crack down on software bootleggers.Leslie Brokaw

Examples of bootlegger in a Sentence

a bootlegger of counterfeit electronics
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Spikes in methanol poisonings are common in Iran, where ordinary alcohol can’t be sold or consumed and bootleggers often use industrial methanol to produce homemade alcoholic drinks instead. Bykai Kupferschmidt, science.org, 31 Oct. 2024 The dynamic echoed commercial theater’s current love affair with missing-the-point adaptations of The Great Gatsby, a Faust story of its own with a bootlegger as the Devil. Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 1 Aug. 2024 Among the additions to season two is Simu Liu as the voice of Chang, a charming bootlegger from a powerful family who can been seen above in the first-look clip that is exclusive to THR. Ryan Gajewski, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Sep. 2024 Simon, a cassette tape bootlegger — how’s that for period detail! — played by Jason Andrews is struggling to hold his life together when he is visited by a woman from his past (Eddie Daniels) with startling news that sends him on an emotional journey. Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bootlegger 

Word History

First Known Use

1886, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bootlegger was in 1886

Dictionary Entries Near bootlegger

Cite this Entry

“Bootlegger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bootlegger. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

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