contraband of war

American  

noun

International Law.

1. goods that a neutral nation cannot supply to a belligerent nation except at the risk of seizure and confiscation.

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Etymology

Origin of contraband of war

First recorded in 1795–1805

Example Sentences

Historians have argued that Butler’s so-called contraband of war policy did not concern itself with the Black men’s humanity.

From New York Times • Nov. 16, 2020

The list of contraband of war was extended by both belligerents until it comprehended almost every useful article grown, mined, or manufactured.

From Aircraft and Submarines The Story of the Invention, Development, and Present-Day Uses of War's Newest Weapons by Abbot, Willis J. (Willis John)

The neutral flag covers enemy’s goods, with the exception of contraband of war; 3.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 10 "David, St" to "Demidov" by Various

A more serious difficulty will arise in agreeing upon some criterion to determine when articles of dual utility, for war or peace, may be treated by a belligerent as absolutely contraband of war.

From The Scrap Book, Volume 1, No. 6 August 1906 by Various

Our enemies are obtaining contraband of war from the United States, in particular rifles, to the value of many milliards of marks; this is within their rights.

From My Three Years in America by Bernstorff, Johann Heinrich Andreas Hermann Albrecht Graf von