smuggle

[ smuhg-uh l ]

/ ˈsmʌg əl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR smuggle ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), smug·gled, smug·gling.

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), smug·gled, smug·gling.

to import, export, or convey goods surreptitiously or in violation of the law.

Nearby words

smudge pot, smudging, smudgy, smug, smuggery, smuggle, smuggler, smuggling, smugly, smur, smurfing

Origin of smuggle

1680–90; < Low German smuggeln; cognate with German schmuggeln

Related formssmug·gler, nounan·ti·smug·gling, adjectiveun·smug·gled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for smuggle

It was a high-tech attempt to smuggle in drugs and phones from the skies over a maximum-security facility.
What Was This Drone Doing Over a South Carolina Prison?|Melissa Leon|August 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Egypt has blocked the tunnels Hamas formerly used to smuggle goods and weapons into Gaza—and to get its operatives out again.
Israelis and Arabs Shaken by the Aftershock of Teen Murders|Miranda Frum|July 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rep. Steve King raged that this would allow illegals to “smuggle themselves into the military.”
Even a Path to Citizenship for Military Volunteers Is Too Much for House Republicans|Ben Jacobs|April 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His father was executed in 1942 by a German gendarme after attempting to smuggle a packet of saccharine into the Ghetto.
The Week in Death: Irving Milchberg, the Teenage Gunrunner of the Warsaw Ghetto|The Telegraph|March 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST

To smuggle 500 kilograms of Mexican cocaine in frozen fish from Guyana to Italy would require as many as 5,000 fish.
Mafia’s Cocaine-in-a-Can Bust|Michael Daly|February 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In my country we do not—that is, we who are of my class—we do not consider it a crime to smuggle—ah, well, a few cigars.
The Eight-Oared Victors|Lester Chadwick
I would have paid a week's subscription to have been able to smuggle the 'Examiner' into my hand at that moment.
Tales Of The Trains|Charles James Lever
I know, indeed, you are accustom'd to smuggle with these Rebels of mine.
Benjamin Franklin|Frank Luther Mott
Hes going to smuggle them over to the tailors and have em cleaned.
Left Half Harmon|Ralph Henry Barbour
Here he has only got to smuggle himself in, there he had to bring back something like a ton of oranges.
Held Fast For England|G. A. Henty

British Dictionary definitions for smuggle

smuggle

/ (ˈsmʌɡəl) /

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

(tr foll by away) to conceal; hide

Derived Formssmuggler, nounsmuggling, noun

Word Origin for smuggle

C17: from Low German smukkelen and Dutch smokkelen, perhaps from Old English smūgen to creep; related to Old Norse smjūga

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

Word Origin and History for smuggle

smuggle

"import or export secretly and contrary to law," 1680s, of Low German or Dutch origin (see smuggler). Related: Smuggled; smuggling.

smuggle

verb (used with object), smug·gled, smug·gling.

verb (used without object), smug·gled, smug·gling.

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Nearby words

Origin of smuggle

Examples from the Web for smuggle

British Dictionary definitions for smuggle

smuggle

verb

Word Origin for smuggle

Word Origin and History for smuggle

smuggle