smuggle
Americanverb (used with object)
-
smuggles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
smuggled,
past participle, past
-
smuggling
present participle
-
to import or export (goods) secretly, in violation of the law, especially without payment of legal duty.
-
to bring, take, put, etc., surreptitiously.
She smuggled the gun into the jail inside a cake.
verb (used without object)
-
smuggles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
smuggled,
past participle, past
-
smuggling
present participle
verb
-
to import or export (prohibited or dutiable goods) secretly
-
(tr; often foll by into or out of) to bring or take secretly, as against the law or rules
-
to conceal; hide
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
smugglesimple
-
smugglessimple
-
have smuggledperfect
-
has smuggledperfect
-
am smugglingprogressive
-
are smugglingprogressive
-
is smugglingprogressive
-
have been smugglingperfect progressive
-
has been smugglingperfect progressive
Past
-
smuggledsimple
-
had smuggledperfect
-
was smugglingprogressive
-
were smugglingprogressive
-
had been smugglingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of smuggle
1680–90; < Low German smuggeln; cognate with German schmuggeln
Explanation
If you import or export something without paying customs duties, you smuggle it. All kinds of things have been smuggled over the years: art, alcohol, drugs, animals, even tea! The verb smuggle has expanded to generally mean to bring something in or out in secret, especially if doing so breaks a rule or a law. Kids may smuggle candy into a movie theater so they don't have to pay the high prices at the concession stand. You may smuggle Christmas presents into the house so your kids don't see them. Illegal immigrants may be smuggled into the country for a fee, but if caught they can be deported.
Vocabulary lists containing smuggle
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Circuit
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Enrique's Journey
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“Like finding out that people were literally trying to smuggle giant vats of ranch,” said Stacy Stokes, the brand’s vice president of marketing and sales.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Federal authorities charged a Daly City man in an international trafficking plot to smuggle nearly 300 poached loggerhead musk turtles from Florida to Taiwan.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
Most recently, the stock fell 33% on March 20 after the U.S. government charged Super Micro co-founder Yih-Shyan “Wally” Liaw and two other individuals regarding an alleged plan to smuggle U.S.-assembled servers to China.
From Barron's ● May 5, 2026
Sahand says he has sent a dozen to Iran since January and "we are actively looking for other ways to smuggle in more".
From BBC ● May 2, 2026
It would be Mac’s job to smuggle the manuscript to the outside world.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Treating occurrences as things that exist smuggles confusion into our language and concepts.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2025
Kigali denies UN evidence that it smuggles vast amounts of gold and other metals out of eastern DR Congo and sells them as its own.
From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2025
Israeli leaders have cited security concerns, saying Hamas smuggles weaponry through the Gaza-Egypt border zone.
From New York Times ● Feb. 10, 2024
“Everyone smuggles food out of kitchens. I mean what else are you going to make? Unless it’s smuggled food,” she said.
From Salon ● Feb. 2, 2024
I’ve learned a bit about evolution thanks to the books and newspapers Jackson smuggles me, and the comparison doesn't sit well.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
According to the real Asa, their parents had smuggled her out of the village at a young age but weren’t able to take Yuru with them.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
And it is something, we are reminded, that can be smuggled away in a backpack.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
In addition, oil companies don't deliver fuel to some places in the region, deterred by transport costs, security issues and competition from cheaper smuggled products.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
In 2009, Ali was smuggled to Johannesburg by road where he remained for five years working in his uncle's shop.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026
During the Civil War, as Atlanta smoldered, Root’s father had smuggled him to Liverpool, England, aboard a Confederate blockade-runner.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Besides the main storyline and a dull, time-padding smuggling operation to uncover, there’s little to do for the rest of the Broken Lizard team: Paul Soter, Eric Stolhanske and Steve Emme.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Prosecutors also have detained seven people, including an Nvidia worker, in a separate case involving the alleged smuggling of the US tech giant's AI chips to China.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
She urged the EU to "double down" in five areas: preventing irregular migration in the first place via cooperation with partner states; strengthening external borders; implementing early warning systems; dismantling smuggling networks and reinforcing returns.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Neighboring Kazakhstan on Thursday deployed 59 checkpoints on its border with Russia, to prevent Russian motorists from smuggling out fuel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
He supervised undercover agents who pretended to be brokers and guides in order to infiltrate and disrupt the smuggling trade.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
