Dictionary

smuggle en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈsmʌɡəl/
• (Australia) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)mewk- Proto-Indo-European *smewg-der. Proto-Germanic *smeuganą Proto-West Germanic *smeugan Old Dutch *smūgan Middle Dutch *smugen Proto-Germanic *-lōną Proto-West Germanic *-lōn Old Dutch -lon Middle Dutch -elen Middle Dutch *smuggelen Dutch smokkelenbor.? Low German smuggelnbor.? English smuckle English smuggle From earlier smuckle, either from Dutch smokkelen (“to smuggle”), a frequentative form of Middle Dutch smūken (“to act secretly, be sneaky”), from Old Dutch *smugan, or from Dutch Low Saxon or German Low German smuggeln; all are from Proto-West Germanic *smeugan (“to creep; slip through or into”). cognates and related terms Cognate with Saterland Frisian smuggelje (“to smuggle”), West Frisian smokkelje (“to smuggle”), German Low German smuggeln, smuckeln (“to move insidiously, smuggle”), German schmuggeln (“to smuggle”), Danish smugle (“to smuggle”), Swedish smuggla (“to smuggle”). Related also to Icelandic smjúga (“to creep, penetrate”), Swedish smyga (“to sneak, slip, crawl, lurk, steal”), German schmiegen (“to nestle, wrap, snuggle”), Old English smēogan, smūgan (“to creep, crawl, move gradually, penetrate”).

Meanings

1. (intransitive, transitive) To import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties
   • 'Smuggling was a way of life here, with no stigma attached,' David explained. His own granny used to smuggle out rabbit meat, tied to her body, and bring back such coveted Italian goods as chocolate, coffee and brooms. 'Brooms?' I asked him in disbelief. 'Yes, ordinary sorghum brooms, which were in short supply in Communist Yugoslavia, like many other basic household goods,' he said with a smile. 2026 June 24, Vitali Vitaliev, “Life on the borderline”, in RAIL, number 1064, page 68:
   • A lorry driver who smuggled illegal immigrants into the UK in the back of his trailer has been jailed. 2018 July 20, “Lorry driver jailed for smuggling illegal immigrants into UK”, in cps.gov.uk, London: Crown Prosecution Service, retrieved 20 Jul 2018:
2. (transitive) To bring in surreptitiously
   • 22 March 2012, Scott Tobias, AV Club The Hunger Gameshttp://www.avclub.com/articles/the-hunger-games,71293/ While Collins does include a love triangle, a coming-of-age story, and other YA-friendly elements in the mix, they serve as a Trojan horse to smuggle readers into a hopeless world where love becomes a stratagem and growing up is a matter of basic survival.
3. (obsolete, transitive) To fondle or cuddle.
4. (slang) To thrash or be thrashed by a bear's claws, or to swipe at or be swiped at by a person's arms in a bearlike manner.
   • England finally found some urgency in the closing stages, when O'Reilly held his head in his hands after hitting the woodwork, with Guehi similarly disappointed to see his header smuggled off the line. 2026 June 23, Phil McNulty, “England 0-0 Ghana”, in BBC:

Forms

Deriveds

smugglesome · unsmuggled · smuggling · smuggler · smugglable · smuggle past

Synonyms

run

Translations (58)

ro contrabanda (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · af smokkel (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · gl contrabandear (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · ca fer el contraban (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · bg внасям тайно (to bring in surreptitiously) · de schmuggeln (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · de schmuggeln (to bring in surreptitiously) · cmn 私運 /私运 (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · uk провозити контрабандою (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · mi kawe tāhae (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · sh krijumčariti (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · nn smugla (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · yue 走私 (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · pl przemycić (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · mi kawe toropuku (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · mk криу́мчари (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · mk шверцува (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · nap smercià (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · it contrabbandare (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · sl tihotapiti (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · cs pašovat (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · es pasar de contrabando (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · lo ລັກລອບ (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · sk pašovať (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · hu csempész (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · fi salakuljettaa (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · mi kawe toropuku (to bring in surreptitiously) · arz هرب (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · hi तस्करी करना (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · ru провози́ть контраба́ндой (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · hu csempész (to bring in surreptitiously) · fr passer en contrebande (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · ko 밀수하다 (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · sl pretihotapiti (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · hu csempészik (to bring in surreptitiously) · km រត់គយ (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · vi buôn lậu (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · st kunyata (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · ja 密輸する (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · nrf frauder (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · nrf faithe la fraude (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · bg контрабандирам (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · fr contrebander (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · mi kuhu tāhae (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · eu kontrabando egin (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · sv smuggla (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · io kontrabandar (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · he הבריח (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · uk робити контрабанду (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · nb smugle (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · nap cuntrabbandà (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · pt contrabandear (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · hu csempészik (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · ar هَرَّبَ (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · es contrabandear (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · cmn 走私 (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · pl przemycać (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties) · hi तस्करी (to import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties)