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
Examples 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 bootleg
Eric Andersson, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024
And subsequent research has suggested most of those who were poisoned had been drinking this bootleg alcohol for pleasure or escape, not protection from COVID-19.
—Bykai Kupferschmidt, science.org, 31 Oct. 2024
Owen Myers, Pitchfork, 29 Feb. 2024
With a dual tape deck recorder, a duplicate copy of any cassette can be copied onto a blank tape, allowing for commercial recordings to be easily shared and bootlegged.
—John Morrison, SPIN, 13 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bootleg 
Noun
His dad, who worked at a bank and did security for clubs on weekends, ran a mentorship program for young men and showed them a bootleg copy of Boyz n the Hood, the 1992 John Singleton coming-of-age drama set in Los Angeles.
—Eric Andersson, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024
And subsequent research has suggested most of those who were poisoned had been drinking this bootleg alcohol for pleasure or escape, not protection from COVID-19.
—Bykai Kupferschmidt, science.org, 31 Oct. 2024
Verb
The essay topics include Cher, Madonna, and Whitney Houston, as well as Cat Power bootlegs, an obscure Hop Along CD-R, and a perfect Kim Gordon playlist of two songs designed to be heard on a loop.
—Owen Myers, Pitchfork, 29 Feb. 2024
With a dual tape deck recorder, a duplicate copy of any cassette can be copied onto a blank tape, allowing for commercial recordings to be easily shared and bootlegged.
—John Morrison, SPIN, 13 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bootleg
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bootleg
Noun
-
The holidays are often when people over-indulge in too much food, too many deserts, too much alcohol, and even too much time on social media.Peter Suciu, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2024
-
By then, Stockton was already experimenting with drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol.Hema Sivanandam, The Mercury News, 22 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Interviews with team leads are important to gain clarity into the business needs that are currently being accommodated through unauthorized tool adoption.Rajat Bhargava, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024
-
Federal rules require banks to reimburse customers for unauthorized payments, for instance if their accounts were hacked.Manya Saini, USA TODAY, 26 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Montages were also important in conveying more of an abstract rhythm, such as showing the technical film development process in the beginning or trying to smuggle film into the Olympic Village.Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 18 Dec. 2024
-
When exactly the statue’s head and torso were separated isn’t known, but experts now think that both pieces were smuggled out of the country in the 1960s.Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
About the same time, a Missouri infantryman and musician in the home’s band fell back into the sodden embrace of booze after years of sobriety, went back to his barracks and swallowed hydrochloric acid.Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024
-
The state has some of the harshest laws on the books, including one that could penalize people who try to wait the booze out of their system in their vehicle before hitting the road.Elena Santa Cruz, The Arizona Republic, 30 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
And while the league did improve its ratings and merchandising sales, it is still reportedly projected to lose money this year.Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 23 Oct. 2024
-
Scotty Frantz, associate manager of merchandising partnerships at the NBA, teased the the Clippers product.Andrés Buenahora, Variety, 20 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
Here, guests can sip on a drink beside a life-sized ice and snow astronaut, or make a quick exit via a slide carved from ice and snow.Rebecca Ann Hughes, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
-
Its double-wall vacuum insulation keeps drinks cold for 24 hours or hot for 12.Emily Hochberg, Parents, 17 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
The last four years being married to you was like living with a monster that constantly tried to break me down and fence me in.Nikki Battiste, CBS News, 14 Dec. 2024
-
About two hours before Harris began speaking, lines of supporters snaked around fencing near the Ellipse site, running for blocks and reaching well into the National Mall.Louis Jacobson, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
Similar to moonshine, that unsavory reputation still follows the modern spirit.Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, 29 Oct. 2024
-
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
Thesaurus Entries Near bootleg
Cite this Entry
“Bootleg.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bootleg. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share