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

In a separate incident, two human smugglers were sentenced May 15 after a series of high-speed chases near the border. —Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 24 May 2025

And the smugglers’ knack for evolving and evading authorities also appears unchanged. —Aarne Heikkila, NBC news, 17 May 2025

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem responded to the latest maritime tragedy by calling for the death penalty for alleged smugglers. —Laura Castañeda, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 May 2025

From there, at least four men took a smuggler’s route into Nepal, where about 6,300 Bhutanese people still live in refugee camps, according to the U.N.H.C.R., the United Nations refugee agency. —Kurt Streeter, New York Times, 1 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1661, in the meaning defined above