contraband
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.
prohibited from export or import.
Origin of contraband
1Other words from contraband
- non·con·tra·band, noun, adjective
Words Nearby contraband
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use contraband in a sentence
In 2013, smugglers in São Paulo were all set to ship a huge cache of fossils out of the Santos Harbor, but before they could, local police swooped in and recovered the contraband.
Smugglers almost made off with a near-complete fossil of a bizarre flying reptile | Hannah Seo | August 26, 2021 | Popular-ScienceI once tried to send a bracelet to my friend in a letter, but those items are considered “contraband” and are not allowed out.
These contraband networks — the smuggled molasses that played a role in the American Revolution — also worked as avenues for news.
Stereotypes about Haiti erase the long history of U.S.-Haiti ties | Robert Taber | July 8, 2021 | Washington PostIronically, the data indicates that, in many cases, those more likely to be targeted are less likely to have contraband or to have broken laws.
Want to Improve Police Stop Disparities? Hold the Chief Responsible for Addressing Them. | Chris Brewster | June 23, 2021 | Voice of San DiegoThen came a half-century where the bookstores and theaters had nothing but l’art de la femme, and old-timers like you swapped drives full of contraband hip-hop and novels with the corners worn off.
Yazbek says no one takes names, and no one checks for weapons or other contraband.
Prison guards in Lima found a contraband mobile phone in his prison cell that he claimed was given to him by the warden.
Did Joran Van Der Sloot Fake His Prison Shanking? | Andrea Zarate, Barbie Latza Nadeau | November 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe was convicted of perjury, served 30 days, and went back to a swashbuckling career in contraband.
The Weirdest Story About a Conservative Obsession, a Convicted Bomber, and Taylor Swift You Have Ever Read | David Weigel | August 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTA CBP dog sniffs around for contraband like drugs, food, weapons, people.
A Shooting on a Tribal Land Uncovers Feds Running Wild | Caitlin Dickson | August 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTOf course, as Singer notes, “Smuggling things that are contraband at a prison is not a national security emergency.”
What Was This Drone Doing Over a South Carolina Prison? | Melissa Leon | August 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSo far as the right or wrong of having contraband whisky was concerned, I don't think any one gave it a second thought.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. SinclairHe accuses the latter of various illegal and crafty acts, among them sending contraband gold and jewels to Mexico.
The progress of the woollen manufactures of Ireland excited even more alarm and indignation than the contraband trade with France.
The History of England from the Accession of James II. | Thomas Babington MacaulayGinger-beer could also be procured, and there were suspicions that the bottles so called contained something contraband.
The Daisy Chain | Charlotte YongeTheir merchants, especially in New England, carried on a brisk and extremely profitable contraband trade.
The Political History of England - Vol. X. | William Hunt
British Dictionary definitions for contraband
/ (ˈkɒntrəˌbænd) /
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
(of goods)
forbidden by law from being imported or exported
illegally imported or exported
Origin of contraband
1Derived forms of contraband
- contrabandist, noun
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
Goods illegally transported across borders to avoid the payment of taxes.
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.
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