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

The supply lines of this opioid stretch from Chinese labs to Mexican cartels and (via smugglers who are mostly American) to consumers in the U.S. —Andreas Kluth, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2025

According to the government’s sentencing memorandum, Tin aided and abetted turtle smugglers in the U.S. from February 2018 to June 2023. —Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2025

Michelle and her new friend stow away in the back of a semi-truck owned by a smuggler named Keats (Chris Pratt, in autopilot mode). —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2025

Brazil raids homes of arms smugglers SAO PAULO -- Brazil's federal police on Thursday raided the homes of smugglers who brought in 2,000 assault rifles from Miami to supply a criminal organization in Rio de Janeiro, authorities said. —Compiled By Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 21 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1661, in the meaning defined above