black market 1 of 2

as in trade
a system through which things are bought and sold illegally The black market in prescription drugs is thriving. They unloaded the stolen goods on the black market.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

black-market

2 of 2

verb

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of black market
Noun
The drugs were then supposed to be delivered to someone who would sell them on the black market as part of a criminal gang that targeted Walgreens stores across the western part of the country. Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 27 Feb. 2025 Ulbricht, 40, was about 10 years into his life sentence for helming an online black market where drug dealers, money launderers, and traffickers used bitcoins to mask more than $214 million in illicit trades. Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 22 Jan. 2025
Verb
This modern horror film stars Demi Moore as Elizabeth Sparkle, an aging celebrity who takes a black-market drug that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself but has some nasty side effects. Nora Colomer, Fox News, 24 Feb. 2025 Moore and Qualley portray different versions of the same character in The Substance; Moore's Elisabeth Sparkle seeks out a black-market drug called The Substance after she is fired from her long-running workout television program, only to find that the drug creates a younger version of her. Tommy McArdle, People.com, 8 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for black market
Recent Examples of Synonyms for black market
Noun
  • Canada responded by announcing retaliatory tariffs on billions of dollars worth of American goods, though the trade war threatens to plunge Canada’s economy into a recession.
    Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2025
  • But Ukraine has already carved out a trade route requiring ships to sail near its coast guided by the Ukrainian Navy, thus already re-establishing its main grain export route and trade to near pre-war levels.
    Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • The next day, Rendon made an agreement with Lomeli-Luna to smuggle more than 2 pounds of methamphetamine across the border, according to prosecutors.
    Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Mar. 2025
  • It had been written by a migrant who’d managed to smuggle a cellphone into the facility by hiding it in his shorts.
    Lomi Kriel, ProPublica, 12 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Jackson Agar in Minnesota, says the gray market is a risk his family is just unwilling to take.
    Sydney Lupkin, NPR, 19 Mar. 2025
  • Nevertheless, reports indicate that gray market resellers are using entities registered outside of China to purchase servers equipped with Nvidia’s latest products from companies in various countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
    Trefis Team, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Soho House’s chief art director, Katie Bryan, has helped grow the collection, which decorates its 45 international venues, by bartering memberships for artworks.
    George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 3 Mar. 2025
  • Salim voices its central character, who goes on dangerous missions for the God of Death to barter for the life of his late father.
    EW.com, EW.com, 12 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • However, taxpayers need to file a tax return and claim the recovery rebate credit by the April 15 deadline, even if any income from a job, business or other source was minimal or nonexistent, according to the IRS.
    Susan Haigh and Adriana Morga, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2025
  • This situation could notably affect Visa, as its business is closely linked to consumer spending and international travel volumes.
    Trefis Team, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • In 1920s Anaheim, the big local issue was bootlegging and Catholics, who were seen as foreigners in what was supposed to be an Anglo-Saxon Protestant country.
    Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2025
  • In Chicago, as in other major cities, a few high-profile mobsters battled it out for bootlegging supremacy.
    Sarah Holzmann, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • The marketplace is structured into vertical-specific segments that include dedicated spaces for advertising services, live events, animation and VFX, extended reality technologies, film projects, game development, radio and podcasting, comics and e-books, web series, and music and sound design.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 29 Mar. 2025
  • One major scene in Season 5 shows Jesus entering the temple marketplace and overturning the tables of the buyers, sellers, and money changers.
    Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • The Bulldogs stormed back and cut the lead to one with 29 seconds left after both teams exchanged buckets for several minutes.
    Ryan Morik, Fox News, 21 Mar. 2025
  • The eldest Duggar daughter, got engaged June 15 and exchanged vows during a traditional ceremony in front of 500 guests in Prairie Grove, Ark.
    Rachel Flynn, People.com, 21 Mar. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Black market.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/black%20market. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on black market

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!