nar·co
ˈnär-(ˌ)kō 
plural narcos
1
US slang
: one who traffics or deals drugs illegally
One of the ways for big narcos to launder drug money was to acquire land.—
Maureen Orth
Maureen Orth… the US government has for the past fifteen years been waging all-out war on the Colombian narcos, with little to show for it.—Michael Massing
Michael Massing
also
: narcotic drugs
—usually used before another noun
narco traffic/traffickers
narco smuggling
see also narco- sense 2
2
US slang
: a person investigating narcotics violations : narc
Students also have agitated against university acquiescence in the presence on the campus of "narcos"—police agents seeking to make arrests for violations of narcotics laws …—Earl C. Gottschalk, Jr.
Earl C. Gottschalk, Jr.1
: deep sleep
narcolepsy
2
[narcotic]
: associated with, relating to, or engaged in the sale of illegal narcotics
narco-corruption
narco-criminals
narco-dollars [=dollars gained through the sale of illegal narcotics]
Examples of narco in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024
Selena Gomez is a welcome surprise, shedding any remaining hints of her Disney Channel origins in her portrayal of a hard-loving wife of a narco.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 2 Sep. 2024
My whole town, 20 to 30 years ago, narco trafficking was a big problem.
—Kristine M. Kierzek, Journal Sentinel, 10 May 2024
Throughout his set, Peso made similar references to news clips about him and other Mexican artists whose music has similarly reflected the narco culture that surrounds them.
—Thania Garcia, Variety, 13 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for narco 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
This corruption had global effects with Hezbollah establishing a presence in Venezuela and entering the gold, oil, narco and other markets that benefit the Maduro heirarchy.
—Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024
Selena Gomez is a welcome surprise, shedding any remaining hints of her Disney Channel origins in her portrayal of a hard-loving wife of a narco.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 2 Sep. 2024
My whole town, 20 to 30 years ago, narco trafficking was a big problem.
—Kristine M. Kierzek, Journal Sentinel, 10 May 2024
Throughout his set, Peso made similar references to news clips about him and other Mexican artists whose music has similarly reflected the narco culture that surrounds them.
—Thania Garcia, Variety, 13 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for narco
Dictionary Entries Near narco
Cite this Entry
“Narco.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/narco. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share