smuggle

[smuhg-uh l]

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.

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. 2018

Examples from the Web for smuggler

Contemporary Examples

Finding a smuggler in Ventimiglia is easier than finding good food.
Ghost Ships of the Mediterranean
Barbie Latza Nadeau
January 6, 2015
“We met the smuggler in the train station; he came to speak with us about the services he provided,” Yazbek says.
Ghost Ships of the Mediterranean
Barbie Latza Nadeau
January 6, 2015
“When the smuggler boat is ready, they call you,” Saed says.
Inside the Smuggling Networks Flooding Europe with Refugees
Barbie Latza Nadeau
December 15, 2014
When you are safely out, you give your password to the smuggler who calls it in to the broker to release the funds.
Inside the Smuggling Networks Flooding Europe with Refugees
Barbie Latza Nadeau
December 15, 2014
In another, meant for viewers in El Salvador, shadows on a wall illustrate a conversation between a teenage boy and a smuggler.
A Border Patrol Campaign Worthy of Don Draper
Caitlin Dickson
July 7, 2014

Historical Examples

Then it is no hoax after all; and I've been sitting down to dinner with a smuggler!'
The Pirate and The Three Cutters
Frederick Marryat
I am, as you know, a smuggler; and I must send this lace on shore.
The Pirate and The Three Cutters
Frederick Marryat
The weapon was a long, heavy carbine, which had doubtless belonged to some smuggler.
The Fortune of the Rougons
Emile Zola
In his youth he had sailed on a smuggler, running in from Whitehaven with spirits.
The Little Manx Nation - 1891
Hall Caine
Of a smuggler, a large proportion of our people think no wrong.
An Orkney Maid
Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr

British Dictionary definitions for smuggler

smuggle

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

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 smuggler

n.

1660s, from Low German smuggeln or Dutch smokkelen "to transport (goods) illegally," apparently a frequentative formation of a word meaning "to sneak" (from Proto-Germanic *smuganan; cf. Dutch smuigen "to eat secretly;" Swedish smyg "a lurking-hole," Danish smughandel "contraband trade," Norwegian smjuga, Old English smeogan "to creep"), perhaps literally "to slip (contraband through)," from Proto-Germanic *(s)muk- (see smock).

smuggle

v.

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

smuggle

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Examples from the Web for smuggler

Contemporary Examples

Finding a smuggler in Ventimiglia is easier than finding good food.

“We met the smuggler in the train station; he came to speak with us about the services he provided,” Yazbek says.

“When the smuggler boat is ready, they call you,” Saed says.

When you are safely out, you give your password to the smuggler who calls it in to the broker to release the funds.

In another, meant for viewers in El Salvador, shadows on a wall illustrate a conversation between a teenage boy and a smuggler.

Historical Examples

Then it is no hoax after all; and I've been sitting down to dinner with a smuggler!'

I am, as you know, a smuggler; and I must send this lace on shore.

The weapon was a long, heavy carbine, which had doubtless belonged to some smuggler.

In his youth he had sailed on a smuggler, running in from Whitehaven with spirits.

Of a smuggler, a large proportion of our people think no wrong.

smuggle

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for smuggler

n.

smuggle

v.

Origin of smuggle