as in prohibited
not legally permissible to possess, import, or export
The customs agents searched the shipping containers for contraband items.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contraband
Adjective
-
The list of prohibited and restricted items, as found on the CBP website, includes alcohol, biological materials, firearms, food and produce such as fruits and vegetables, soil, wildlife, fish, and gold, among other items.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Feb. 2025 -
For example, Customs and Border Protection in the United States maintains a list of prohibited and restricted items for anyone entering the US and links to other departments if permits are required.—
Erica Kasper,
WIRED,
21 Aug. 2024
Adjective
-
The platform adheres to the industry’s ethical and legal standards and is not intended for use in intrusive surveillance or unauthorized investigations.—
Chris Gallagher,
USA Today,
27 Mar. 2025
-
Questions have been raised about whether the Signal chat violated the Espionage Act, a 1917 law criminalizing unauthorized storage or disclosure of sensitive defense information.—
Alexandra Hutzler,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Thompson, Ha and Brownell also say that Season 4 will dive much more into the Regency era’s upstairs-downstairs class politics than previous seasons, due to Sophie being of a lower class than Benedict and the Bridgerton family, as well as the fairytale and forbidden love tropes.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2025
-
The clever canine is captured standing frozen, waiting for the all clear, before attempting to climb onto a forbidden couch in a post to the platform by @maltimasi_ on January 30.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
6 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
For many years, China has been the largest source of both legal supplies of the drug – which is prescribed for severe pain relief – and illicit supplies of precursor chemicals that are typically processed in labs in Mexico before the final product is smuggled across the US border.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
28 Mar. 2025
-
In March 2025, more than 650,000 fentanyl pills were seized, following a record of $300 million worth of illicit fentanyl taken off the streets since 2023.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Mar. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Contraband.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contraband. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share