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• black market
  black market

  noun

  the illicit buying and selling of goods in violation of legal price controls, rationing, etc.
• black-market
  black-market

  verb (used without object)

  to black-marketeer.

black market

¹ American  

noun

1. the illicit buying and selling of goods in violation of legal price controls, rationing, etc.

2. a place where such activity is carried on.

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black-market ² American  

[blak-mahr-kit] / ˈblækˈmɑr kɪt /

verb (used without object)

1. to black-marketeer.

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verb (used with object)

1. to sell (something) in the black market.

black market British  

noun

1. 1. any system in which goods or currencies are sold and bought illegally, esp in violation of controls or rationing

   2. ( as modifier )

      black market lamb

2. the place where such a system operates

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verb

1. to sell (goods) on the black market

black market Cultural  

1. The illegal buying and selling of goods above the price fixed by a government. Black markets usually develop when, because of war, disaster, or public policy, a government tries to set prices for commodities instead of allowing the normal operations of supply and demand to set prices.

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Other Word Forms

• black marketeer
  noun

Etymology

Origin of black market¹

First recorded in 1930–35

Origin of black-market²

First recorded in 1930–35; v. use of black market

Example Sentences

Driving instructors say the black market trade has exploded as waiting times across the UK have soared, and thousands of learner drivers have struggled to get driving tests without a long wait.

From BBC • May 16, 2026

But, for weeks during the continuing conflict, Kumar had to buy gas on the black market at eight times the price, making it impossible for him to cover his family’s other expenses.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

The caregiver for her elderly mother and a grandchild, she spends much of her time scouring government stores and the black market for food and medicine.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026

Last year, BBC Sport conducted an investigation exposing an enormous black market for tickets in the Premier League.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

Papa had taken some of his cash and bought a bag of rice at the black market in Hiroshima.

From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata