smuggler
smuggler — noun
1. A person who moves goods or people across a border secretly and illegally, often
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.
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
Minh's grandfather was arrested as a smuggler for hiding electronics inside furniture at the border.
A single smuggler can hide several kilograms of drugs inside a truck's fuel tank.
For years, smugglers have used hidden tunnels beneath the city to move counterfeit goods.
- 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.
- 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.
文法句型
smuggler + of + goods/people
compound: [goods] smuggler
用法筆記
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.