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contraband
[ kon-truh-band ]
/ ˈkɒn trəˌbænd /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
anything prohibited by law from being imported or exported.
goods imported or exported illegally.
illegal or prohibited trade; smuggling.
International Law. contraband of war.
(during the American Civil War) an enslaved Black person who escaped to or was brought within the Union lines.
adjective
prohibited from export or import.
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Origin of contraband
OTHER WORDS FROM contraband
non·con·tra·band, noun, adjectiveWords nearby contraband
contour map, contour ploughing, contour sheet, contr., contra, contraband, contrabandist, contraband of war, contrabass, contrabasso, contrabassoon
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use contraband in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for contraband
contraband
/ (ˈkɒntrəˌbænd) /
noun
- goods that are prohibited by law from being exported or imported
- illegally imported or exported goods
illegal traffic in such goods; smuggling
Also called: contraband of war international law goods that a neutral country may not supply to a belligerent
(during the American Civil War) a Black slave captured by the Union forces or one who escaped to the Union lines
adjective
(of goods)
- forbidden by law from being imported or exported
- illegally imported or exported
Derived forms of contraband
contrabandist, nounWord Origin for contraband
C16: from Spanish contrabanda, from Italian contrabando (modern contrabbando), from Medieval Latin contrabannum, from contra- + bannum ban, of Germanic origin
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
Cultural definitions for contraband
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.