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contraband

Syllabification: (con·tra·band)
Pronunciation: /ˈkäntrəˌband/
Translate contraband | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of contraband

noun

  • goods that have been imported or exported illegally:the police looked for drugs, guns, and other contraband
  • trade in smuggled goods:the government has declared a nationwide war on contraband
  • (also contraband of war) goods forbidden to be supplied by neutrals to those engaged in war.
  • (during the US Civil War) a black slave who escaped or was transported across Union lines.

adjective

  • imported or exported illegally, either in defiance of a total ban or without payment of duty:contraband drug shipments
  • relating to traffic in illegal goods:the contraband market

Derivatives

contrabandist

Pronunciation: /-ist/
noun

Origin:

late 16th century: from Spanish contrabanda, from Italian contrabando, from contra- 'against' + bando 'proclamation, ban'

contraband in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of contraband in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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