bootleg

[ boot-leg ]

/ ˈbutˌlɛg /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bootleg ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

the part of a boot that covers the leg.

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.

verb (used with object), boot·legged, boot·leg·ging.

to deal in (liquor or other goods) unlawfully.

verb (used without object), boot·legged, boot·leg·ging.

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

adjective

made, sold, or transported unlawfully.

illegal or clandestine.

of or relating to bootlegging.

RELATED WORDS

moonshiner, rumrunner

Nearby words

Origin of bootleg

1625–35, Americanism; boot¹ + leg; secondary senses arose from practice of hiding a liquor bottle in the leg of one's boot

Related formsboot·leg·ger, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bootlegger

The National Football League's New York Giants franchise was founded in 1925 by a bootlegger named Tim Mara.
Will a Criminal Enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame?|Evan Weiner|February 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He seeks to clear up some myths about Kennedy—he was, for instance, never a bootlegger—and offer a truthful portrait of the man.
“The Patriarch”: Joseph Kennedy Sr.’s Outsized Life|Jacob Heilbrunn|November 21, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Are you fellows going to let him in on the bootlegger stuff?
The Radio Detectives|A. Hyatt Verrill
I imagine, of course, as I said to Mr. Hampton here earlier, that our bootlegger friends set the fire.
The Radio Boys with the Revenue Guards|Gerald Breckenridge

It was Hugh's first visit to a bootlegger's den, and he was keenly interested.
The Plastic Age|Percy Marks
"My dear sir," said the bootlegger, with a pained expression.
Jokes For All Occasions|Anonymous
He was also curious to know what manner of man the bootlegger would prove to be.
The Flying Reporter|Lewis E. (Lewis Edwin) Theiss

British Dictionary definitions for bootlegger

bootleg

/ (ˈbuːtˌlɛɡ) /

verb -legs, -legging or -legged

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

noun

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

an illegally made copy of a CD, tape, etc

adjective

produced, distributed, or sold illicitlybootleg whisky; bootleg tapes

Derived Formsbootlegger, noun

Word Origin for bootleg

C17: see boot 1, leg; from the practice of smugglers of carrying bottles of liquor concealed in their boots

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

Word Origin and History for bootlegger (1 of 2)

bootlegger

1889, from bootleg (q.v.).

Word Origin and History for bootlegger (1 of 2)

bootleg

"leg of a boot," 1630s, from boot (n.1) + leg (n.). As an adjective in reference to illegal iquor, 1889, American English slang, from the trick of concealing a flask of liquor down the leg of a high boot. Before that the bootleg was the place to secret knives and pistols.

bootleg

noun

verb (used with object), boot·legged, boot·leg·ging.

verb (used without object), boot·legged, boot·leg·ging.

adjective

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of bootleg

Examples from the Web for bootlegger

British Dictionary definitions for bootlegger

bootleg

verb -legs, -legging or -legged

noun

adjective

Word Origin for bootleg

Word Origin and History for bootlegger (1 of 2)

bootlegger

Word Origin and History for bootlegger (1 of 2)

bootleg