Synonyms

moonshiner

American

[moon-shahy-ner] / ˈmunˌʃaɪ nər /

noun

Informal.

a person who distills or sells liquor, especially corn liquor, illegally.
a person who pursues any illegal trade or activity at night.

moonshiner British

/ ˈmuːnˌʃaɪnə /

noun

a person who illegally makes or smuggles distilled spirits

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of moonshiner

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60; moonshine + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Besides the work done for the magazine on this trip, he gave the Atlantic Monthly two articles, "The Moonshiner at Home," and "Barataria: The Ruins of a Pirate Kingdom."

From Woman's Way Through Unknown Labrador by Hubbard, Mina Benson

"I'm going to write a tale to be called 'The Titled Moonshiner; or, The Baron's Quart of Corn.'"

From A Tar-Heel Baron by Holloway, Edward Stratton

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023