contraband of war

American  

noun

International Law.

1. goods that a neutral nation cannot supply to a belligerent nation except at the risk of seizure and confiscation.

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Etymology

Origin of contraband of war

First recorded in 1795–1805

Example Sentences

Historians have argued that Butler’s so-called contraband of war policy did not concern itself with the Black men’s humanity.

From New York Times • Nov. 16, 2020

The shores of the "Sister Islands" presented to each other the view of rival frontiers, and the passage of a fragment of Irish produce was as impracticable as if it had been contraband of war.

From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 57, No. 354, April 1845 by Various

On the last voyage she had brought the ammunition already so frequently referred to; as a matter of fact, she was again bringing contraband of war.

From The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 17 (of 25) by Stevenson, Robert Louis

Adjudication presupposes something to adjudicate; but if there was no contraband of war, on board the Trent, what was there to adjudicate?

From Memoirs of Service Afloat, During the War Between the States by Semmes, Raphael

Some difficulties which arose regarding the exercise by the British government of the right of search for contraband of war were also used to stimulate public feeling.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 8 "Germany" to "Gibson, William" by Various