as in alcohol
illegally produced liquor
getting caught with bootleg during Prohibition could have resulted in a jail sentence
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in unauthorized
made or sold illegally
During the Prohibition era, many people made their own bootleg whiskey. He was arrested for selling bootleg copies of the album.
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in to smuggle
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of bootleg
Al Shipley, SPIN, 25 Dec. 2024
The quarterback can bootleg in and out of the perimeter of cameras, as the testing aims to simulate as many football movements as possible.
—Jourdan Rodrigue, The Athletic, 27 Aug. 2024
Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 16 Aug. 2025
There’s a twisted kind of logic to city pop’s trajectory, where the same recommendation algorithms that gave the genre a random resurgence would now also push people onto robo bootlegs—whatever drives clicks.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 17 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for bootleg
Noun
Living in Woodstock, New York, Dylan spent a lot of time in nearby Saugerties at the Band’s famous Big Pink house, recording dozens of songs that were heavily bootlegged and sometimes sent to other artists to record.
—Al Shipley, SPIN, 25 Dec. 2024
The quarterback can bootleg in and out of the perimeter of cameras, as the testing aims to simulate as many football movements as possible.
—Jourdan Rodrigue, The Athletic, 27 Aug. 2024
Adjective
The Patriots are calling bootleg play-action passes, other movement throws and a wider array of run-pass options.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 16 Aug. 2025
There’s a twisted kind of logic to city pop’s trajectory, where the same recommendation algorithms that gave the genre a random resurgence would now also push people onto robo bootlegs—whatever drives clicks.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 17 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for bootleg
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bootleg
Noun
-
Savannah and Harvey spoke about the severity of Chase's alcohol usage.—
Dory Jackson,
People.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
In the wound care section, a selection of bandages, dressings, and medical tape, along with antiseptic wipes, alcohol swabs, triple antibiotic ointment, and two manuals (one for dogs and one for people) is available.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Citing a 1993 Florida law statute and a Miami Dade County ordinance, Fernandez said his office will revoke or refuse to renew local business tax receipts, formerly known as occupational licenses, for people or entities engaging in unauthorized business activities with Cuba.—
Nora Gamez Torres,
Miami Herald,
6 Sep. 2025
-
American social media influencer Ethan Guo has been released from a Chilean military base in Antarctica after spending two months in detention following an unauthorized landing.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Federal agents stopped three boats that were en route to South Florida from the Bahamas and were smuggling large loads of cocaine and dozens of Chinese migrants last week, according to court documents.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Ten minutes from Stowe is Smugglers’ Notch State Park, named for the narrow pass in the Green Mountains through which Vermonters used to smuggle goods from Canada in the 1800s.—
Sophie Friedman,
AFAR Media,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Plus, a number of these recipes can be made sans booze (like the vodka cherry limeade) to satisfy a crew of all ages.—
Betsy Cribb Watson,
Southern Living,
27 Aug. 2025
-
There was no booze and no drugs.—
River Selby
August 25,
Literary Hub,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The scenes from inside Corinthians Arena showed fans wearing jerseys and merchandise for every NFL team.—
Joseph Hernandez,
Kansas City Star,
8 Sep. 2025
-
As a haunted doll, Annabelle has all sorts of merchandizing opportunities that other demons just can’t muster.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Guests can browse local vendors, sip on drinks, and catch live music from Jade Flores while enjoying yard games and photo ops under the market lights.—
Tiffani Jackson Skinner,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Passengers in all classes will enjoy complimentary food and drinks.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In 1973 a fencing contractor working in Queensland, Australia, noticed an unusual-looking wallaby on a property being cleared for cattle.—
Lauren Liebhaber
September 4,
Miami Herald,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Sarno’s crew also engaged in smash-and-grab robberies in which hundreds of thousands of dollars in gems were stolen from jewelry stores and then fenced at a Cicero pawnshop operated by the Outlaws motorcycle gang, according to prosecutors.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
In his office at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Wheeler kept several jars of brownish-red homemade moonshine that were natural conversation pieces when the talk turned to NASCAR’s roots.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Aug. 2025
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The downtown distillery and bar uses the original Great Depression-era recipe for its moonshine, but has also expanded to produce vodka, whiskey, sorghum rum, and beer.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
16 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bootleg.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bootleg. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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