smuggler

smuggler — noun

1. A person who moves goods or people across a border secretly and illegally, often

1.nounB2
Definition

A person who moves goods or people across a border secretly and illegally, often to avoid paying tax or to bring in items that are not allowed.

Example

The police arrested a smuggler named Dewi at the border crossing last night.

arrested + smuggler at border crossing

Smugglers often use small fishing boats to bring cigarettes and alcohol across the sea.

typical objects: cigarettes, alcohol

Common collocations
  • drug smuggler
  • human smuggler
  • arms smuggler
  • cigarette smuggler
  • known smuggler
  • convicted smuggler
  • arrested smuggler
Synonyms
  • trafficker

    Usually implies larger-scale, organized crime and often refers specifically to drugs or people; more serious in tone than smuggler.

  • runner

    Informal and somewhat historical, e.g. rum-runner or gun-runner; suggests speed and evasion rather than concealment.

  • contrabandist

    Very formal and rare in everyday speech; appears mainly in legal documents or historical writing.

  • mule

    Slang for someone paid to carry drugs on or inside their body; does not apply to smuggling of objects like cigarettes or art.

Antonyms
  • customs officer

    The person whose job is to inspect goods entering a country and prevent smuggling.

  • border guard

    A uniformed official who monitors and protects national borders.

Grammar Patterns

smuggler + of + goods/people

compound: [goods] smuggler

Usage Note

Frequently appears in news reports about crime, border security, and customs enforcement. The noun combines naturally with a type of good to form a compound — drug smuggler, human smuggler, arms smuggler, cigarette smuggler.

Common Mistakes

The smuggler smuggled drugs across the border.
The smuggler carried drugs across the border.
Using smuggle and smuggler together in one sentence sounds redundant.
A smuggler of cigarettes was caught at the airport.
A cigarette smuggler was caught at the airport.
Compound nouns (cigarette smuggler, drug smuggler) are more natural than smuggler of + noun in everyday English.

Word family

  • smuggle
    verbB2
  • smuggling
    nounB2
  • smuggled
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Smuggler is the broadest term, covering anyone who moves goods or people across a border illegally, from a person carrying a few cartons of cigarettes to a large-scale operation. Trafficker overlaps but carries a darker tone — it almost always involves drugs, weapons, or people, and implies organized crime. Runner is more informal and historical (rum-runner, gun-runner), focusing on speed rather than concealment. Mule is pure slang for someone carrying drugs on or inside their body — a mule is a type of smuggler but the word never applies to cigarette or art smuggling. Contrabandist is a formal synonym found in legal texts but rarely heard in conversation. For everyday writing, smuggler is the safest and most neutral choice.

trafficker ↗runner ↗mule ↗contrabandist

Common collocations

Nouns

  • drugs
  • weapons
  • cigarettes
  • alcohol
  • diamonds
  • counterfeit goods
  • people
  • migrants

Adverbs

Phrases

  • border patrol
  • customs officers
  • border crossing
  • hidden compartment

Prepositions

  • across (the border)
  • into (a country)
  • out of (a country)

Etymology

Low GermanDutchEnglish

Smuggler entered English in the mid-1600s, borrowed from Low German smuggeln or Dutch smokkelen meaning 'to sneak or secrete.' The idea of hiding things in clothing links it to an older Germanic root related to 'smock' (a loose garment). The word became common during the 18th century when high trade taxes made smuggling a widespread activity along European coasts.