as in prohibited
not legally permissible to possess, import, or export
The customs agents searched the shipping containers for contraband items.
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Recent Examples of contraband
The same can be said for using a Pornhub-type site to pass contraband date along.
—
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 13 Feb. 2026
The same deficiencies cited in contraband cases in the mid-2010s continue to appear in inspections a decade later.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Their world inside Parchman was defined by regulation of contraband items, the work they were told to do, conflicts with other inmates, and the corruption and neglect of the prison administrators.
—Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026
Another witness in the trial was locked up in MDC Brooklyn when an inmate handed him a contraband cell phone in January 2024.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contraband
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 13 Feb. 2026
The same deficiencies cited in contraband cases in the mid-2010s continue to appear in inspections a decade later.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Their world inside Parchman was defined by regulation of contraband items, the work they were told to do, conflicts with other inmates, and the corruption and neglect of the prison administrators.
—Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026
Another witness in the trial was locked up in MDC Brooklyn when an inmate handed him a contraband cell phone in January 2024.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contraband
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contraband
Adjective
-
There is, however, room for questions about where the line between prohibited and acceptable political involvement will fall in practice.—
BrieAnna J. Frank,
USA Today,
11 July 2025
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The list of prohibited and restricted items, as found on the CBP website, includes alcohol, biological materials, firearms, food and produce such as fruits and vegetables, soil, wildlife, fish, and gold, among other items.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
If finalized, the move could impact telehealth firms that rely on outsourcing facilities to produce these drugs in bulk, while bolstering Novo and Lilly's efforts against unauthorized versions that are eating into sales of their blockbuster treatments.—
Mariam Sunny,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
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The four-count complaint includes battery, fraud, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and unauthorized use of name and likeness.—
Ana Maria Soler,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Lang calls Atterton, who’s in his prison cell with a smuggled phone, to tell him the job is done and that both Bailey-Brown and Sam have been terminated.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
4 Mar. 2026
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Writs of assistance were open‑ended search warrants granted to British customs officers to search for smuggled goods; they were not limited by time, person, or location, and no probable cause was required.—
Amanda Cats-Baril,
Twin Cities,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Less than an hour’s drive from the holiday markets, on the way to Salla and its forbidden frontier, hundreds of Finnish soldiers are training to repel any future Russian invasion.—
Liam Denning,
Bloomberg,
12 Mar. 2026
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Women, whether secular or religious, remain forbidden to read, write or tell stories.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The proposal would specifically define terms like event contracts while also requiring exchanges to implement safeguards against advertising, illicit finance, and fund segregation.—
Eleanor Mueller,
semafor.com,
30 Apr. 2026
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Her government has handed over scores of cartel suspects to the United States, arrested hundreds of other cartel operatives and busted numerous illicit drug laboratories, among other steps.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contraband.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contraband. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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