narco

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noun

nar·​co ˈnär-(ˌ)kō How to pronounce narco (audio)
plural narcos
1
US slang : one who traffics or deals drugs illegally
One of the ways for big narcos to launder drug money was to acquire land.Maureen Orth
… the US government has for the past fifteen years been waging all-out war on the Colombian narcos, with little to show for it.Michael Massing
also : narcotic drugs
usually used before another noun
narco traffic/traffickers
narco smuggling
see also narco- sense 2
2
US slang : a person investigating narcotics violations : narc
Students also have agitated against university acquiescence in the presence on the campus of "narcos"—police agents seeking to make arrests for violations of narcotics laws …Earl C. Gottschalk, Jr.

narco-

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combining form

1
: deep sleep
narcolepsy
2
[narcotic] : associated with, relating to, or engaged in the sale of illegal narcotics
narco-corruption
narco-criminals
narco-dollars [=dollars gained through the sale of illegal narcotics]

Examples of narco in a Sentence

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.
Noun
This corruption had global effects with Hezbollah establishing a presence in Venezuela and entering the gold, oil, narco and other markets that benefit the Maduro heirarchy. Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024 Selena Gomez is a welcome surprise, shedding any remaining hints of her Disney Channel origins in her portrayal of a hard-loving wife of a narco. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 2 Sep. 2024 My whole town, 20 to 30 years ago, narco trafficking was a big problem. Kristine M. Kierzek, Journal Sentinel, 10 May 2024 Throughout his set, Peso made similar references to news clips about him and other Mexican artists whose music has similarly reflected the narco culture that surrounds them. Thania Garcia, Variety, 13 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for narco 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

(sense 1) borrowed from American Spanish, probably short for narcotraficante "drug trafficker," from narco- narco- + traficante "dealer, trafficker"; (sense 2) from narc- (as in narcotics agent, narcotics officer) + -o entry 1

Combining form

combining form from Greek nárkē "numbness, lack of sensation"; (sense 2) in part after American Spanish narco- (as in narcodependencia "drug dependency," narcotráfico "drug trafficking") — more at narcosis

First Known Use

Noun

1954, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of narco was in 1954

Dictionary Entries Near narco

Cite this Entry

“Narco.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/narco. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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