bootleg

American  

[boot-leg] / ˈbutˌlɛg /

noun

1. alcoholic liquor unlawfully made, sold, or transported, without registration or payment of taxes.

2. the part of a boot that covers the leg.

3. something, as a recording, made, reproduced, or sold illegally or without authorization.

   a flurry of bootlegs to cash in on the rock star's death.

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verb (used with object)

bootlegged, bootlegging

1. to deal in (liquor or other goods) unlawfully.

verb (used without object)

bootlegged, bootlegging

1. to make, transport, or sell something, especially liquor, illegally or without registration or payment of taxes.

adjective

1. made, sold, or transported unlawfully.

2. illegal or clandestine.

3. of or relating to bootlegging.

bootleg British  

/ ˈbuːtˌlɛɡ /

verb

1. to make, carry, or sell (illicit goods, esp alcohol)

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noun

1. something made or sold illicitly, such as alcohol during Prohibition in the US

2. an illegally made copy of a CD, tape, etc

adjective

1. produced, distributed, or sold illicitly

   bootleg whisky

   bootleg tapes

Other Word Forms

• bootlegger
  noun

Etymology

Origin of bootleg

An Americanism first recorded in 1625–35; boot ¹ + leg; secondary senses arose from practice of hiding a liquor bottle in the leg of one's boot

Explanation

Use the adjective bootleg to describe something that is sold illegally, usually because it was stolen in the first place. If you download a movie on your computer and then sell it to a friend, it's a bootleg film. Bootleg is good for describing something that's stolen, smuggled, or pirated. You can use it as a verb, too, when you're talking about selling something illegal or obtained in a sneaky way, like secret recordings of a rock concert or contraband candy at summer camp. The word bootleg, which originally meant simply "the leg of a boot," refers to alcohol smugglers' trick of hiding flasks inside their boots.

Example Sentences

Bootleg recordings circulated among architecture students and cinephiles, who came to regard it as one of the few credible English-language Indian films of its time.

From BBC • Feb. 13, 2026

The bootleg man never went by "Bootleg Man."

From Salon • Sep. 3, 2023

In the Klamath Basin, Green Diamond formed two carbon projects covering 570,000 acres, the largest of which was struck by the Bootleg wildfire and is now proposed for termination.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 16, 2023

The album, now available in Bootleg Series box-set form, marked the beginning of a third act in Dylan’s career that’s still playing out today.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 28, 2023

“PS3. Bootleg tennis. I’ll let you kick my ass.”

From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin

Related Words

• contraband
• illicit
• pirated
• smuggled
• unauthorized