smuggle

smuggle — verb

1. to move goods or people across a national border in secret and against the law,

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to move goods or people across a national border in secret and against the law, typically to evade taxes or because officials have declared the items prohibited

Example

Rafael was caught trying to smuggle cigarettes across the border in his truck.

smuggle + across + border for illegal transport

The gang used a fishing boat to smuggle people from North Africa to Europe.

smuggle + people + from/to for people-trafficking

Common collocations
  • smuggle drugs
  • smuggle weapons
  • smuggle cigarettes
  • smuggle contraband
  • smuggle people
  • smuggle goods
  • smuggle across the border
  • smuggle into the country
  • smuggle out of the country
Synonyms
  • traffic (in)

    more specific to organized criminal trade; stronger criminal connotation, not used for individual acts

  • bootleg

    limited to illegal copying or sale of goods (music, alcohol); never used for people

  • run (informal)

    casual register, often describes a single trip moving illegal goods

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

smuggle + noun + into/out of/across/through + noun

Usage Note

Frequently used with prepositions into, out of, across, or through to indicate the route of illegal transport. The direct object is typically contraband such as drugs, weapons, cigarettes, or gems, or people being moved illegally. Often found in passive constructions (was smuggled).

Common Mistakes

He smuggled drugs.' (missing destination).
He smuggled drugs across the border.
'Smuggle' normally includes a direction phrase specifying the route or crossing point.
She smuggled to France.' (missing direct object).
She smuggled cigarettes into France.
'Smuggle' is transitive; you must state what is being moved.

2. to take something somewhere in a quiet or secret way because it is not allowed i

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to take something somewhere in a quiet or secret way because it is not allowed in that place or situation, even when no law or border is involved — for example, sneaking food into a cinema or a phone into a classroom

Example

Élise smuggled a piece of cake out of the kitchen before the guests arrived.

smuggle + out of for secretive taking

During the boring meeting, Felix smuggled his phone under the table to check a message.

smuggle + under + location for concealment

Common collocations
  • smuggle a phone
  • smuggle food
  • smuggle a note
  • smuggle a toy
  • smuggle into class
  • smuggle past security
Synonyms
  • sneak

    more general; applies to people moving secretly as well as objects; feels less dramatic

  • slip

    suggests quick, quiet action; often used with 'into' or 'out of'

  • spirit away

    literary or playful; suggests removing something mysteriously or magically

Grammar Patterns

smuggle + noun + into/out of/under/past + noun

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: no border crossing or customs law is involved. The secrecy relates to avoiding a non-legal restriction such as a school rule, house rule, or workplace policy. Most common with small physical objects (food, toys, phones). The crime-related connotations of sense 1 are absent here.

Common Mistakes

I smuggled my lunch to school.' (no secrecy or restriction).
I smuggled my phone into the exam room.
'Smuggle' in this sense requires the item to be forbidden or restricted, not just any ordinary carrying.

Word family

  • smuggler
    nounB1
  • smuggling
    nounB1
  • smuggled
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All three alternatives relate to the illegal movement of goods, but they differ in scope and register. 'Traffic (in)' implies organized criminal trade on a large scale and is most often used with drugs, weapons, or people — it carries a stronger criminal-enterprise connotation than 'smuggle'. 'Bootleg' is narrower: it applies only to the unauthorized copying or sale of media (music, films, software) or alcohol, and never to people. 'Run' (short for 'run a shipment') is informal and typically describes a single trip carrying illegal goods, as in 'run guns across the border'. Among the three, 'bootleg' is the most distinct because it refers to the production or sale of counterfeit goods rather than transport across a border, while 'run' focuses on the journey rather than the legal violation.

traffic (in)bootlegrun ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • across the border
  • into the country
  • out of the country
  • past customs
  • through security

Prepositions

Etymology

DutchLow GermanEnglish

Borrowed from early Dutch 'smokkelen' (to sneak or to transport goods secretly), related to Low German 'smuggeln'. Entered English in the mid-1600s, originally referring specifically to evading customs duties by moving goods across borders without paying tax. The broader sense of secretly carrying any forbidden object developed in the 1800s as the word moved from legal contexts into everyday use.