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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to smuggle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bootleg
David Matthews, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2025
After decades of shoddy bootlegs, Dylan was finally releasing Hudson’s complete Basement Tapes recordings as part of a massive Bootleg Series box set.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 21 Jan. 2025
Susan Saulny, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024
Land of the Free, Home of the Bootleggers When technology made music mobile, the American South changed from one type of bootlegging industry to another: copying and selling records.
—JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for bootleg
Noun
The bootleg bugs — placed in plastic bottles, glass jars and other containers, then concealed in packages of chocolate, chips and other snacks — were discovered during an inspection of a cargo shipment from Japan.
—David Matthews, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2025
After decades of shoddy bootlegs, Dylan was finally releasing Hudson’s complete Basement Tapes recordings as part of a massive Bootleg Series box set.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 21 Jan. 2025
Verb
This was the era of Prohibition, dominated by bootlegging gangsters—Chicago alone was said to be home to 1,300 gangs—and some police departments adopted increasingly brutal tactics to wring the truth out of suspects: beating and burning detainees with cigarettes, or depriving them of sleep.
—Susan Saulny, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024
Land of the Free, Home of the Bootleggers When technology made music mobile, the American South changed from one type of bootlegging industry to another: copying and selling records.
—JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for bootleg
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bootleg
Noun
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According to the police news release, Fabianski was charged with criminal mischief, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, possession of alcohol under 21, and driving under the influence.—
Escher Walcott,
People.com,
1 Mar. 2025
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In 2018, The Lancet published research using 26 years of global data in an attempt to determine how much alcohol is safe.—
Avery Hurt,
Discover Magazine,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
But earlier last week, Judge Moss had expressed skepticism that the students behind the lawsuit had standing to sue, since the extent to which they may have been harmed by any unauthorized access to their data remained unclear.—
Zach Montague,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2025
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Change default passwords: Make sure to change the default passwords on all devices that control or access your network. Activate the firewall: This helps block unauthorized traffic and protects against potential threats.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
Fox News,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
For example, the new government has banned flights from Iran into Lebanon after Israel threatened to shoot down any planes suspected of being used to smuggle contraband into the country.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
Newsweek,
26 Feb. 2025
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Police said that the amount of cocaine the man had allegedly been trying to smuggle through the airport had been valued at more than 10,000 euros (just under $10,500), per a Monday, Feb. 24 news release.—
Becca Longmire,
People.com,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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And this month, countries have been threatening to stop selling American alcohol if certain tariffs go into effect: Ontario, which imports some $1 billion of American booze every year, said so just a couple weeks ago.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
14 Feb. 2025
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The cafe serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as booze.—
Steph Solis,
Axios,
6 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Then there's the question of whether parents want merchandising opportunities to shape the programming their kids watch.—
Alana Semuels,
TIME,
14 Feb. 2025
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Ken Kremer, a merchandising manager, said his brother has walked home from work for the past month because his car needed repairs.—
Nollyanne Delacruz,
The Mercury News,
13 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Get news about destinations, plus the latest in aviation, food and drink, and where to stay.—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN,
22 Feb. 2025
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There’s also a great cocktail menu with a variety of classic drinks and original creations.—
Kaitlyn McInnis,
Forbes,
22 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The government responded with an affidavit, supposedly from a prominent general, saying that the land had to be cleared and fenced off for military reasons, to prevent terror attacks.—
Gershom Gorenberg,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2025
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Nearby, the Chicago Department of Transportation fenced off the area under the Bryn Mawr viaduct after the campsite underneath it was cleared.—
Caroline Kubzansky,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Similar to moonshine, that unsavory reputation still follows the modern spirit.—
Maggie Menderski,
The Courier-Journal,
29 Oct. 2024
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And its secret ingredient is a storied family recipe for Eastern Kentucky moonshine.—
Maggie Menderski,
The Courier-Journal,
29 Oct. 2024
Articles Related to bootleg
Cite this Entry
“Bootleg.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bootleg. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.
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