as in alcohol
illegally produced liquor
getting caught with bootleg during Prohibition could have resulted in a jail sentence
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in unauthorized
made or sold illegally
During the Prohibition era, many people made their own bootleg whiskey. He was arrested for selling bootleg copies of the album.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to smuggle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bootleg
Michael Kan, PCMAG, 19 Feb. 2025
There was no licensed Super Bowl stuff from the ’70s but there is a bunch of parking lot bootlegs which are really cool.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 10 Feb. 2025
Susan Saulny, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024
Land of the Free, Home of the Bootleggers When technology made music mobile, the American South changed from one type of bootlegging industry to another: copying and selling records.
—JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for bootleg
Noun
The discovery is a reminder to be careful around bootleg downloads; hackers often exploit them to circulate malware.
—Michael Kan, PCMAG, 19 Feb. 2025
There was no licensed Super Bowl stuff from the ’70s but there is a bunch of parking lot bootlegs which are really cool.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 10 Feb. 2025
Verb
This was the era of Prohibition, dominated by bootlegging gangsters—Chicago alone was said to be home to 1,300 gangs—and some police departments adopted increasingly brutal tactics to wring the truth out of suspects: beating and burning detainees with cigarettes, or depriving them of sleep.
—Susan Saulny, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024
Land of the Free, Home of the Bootleggers When technology made music mobile, the American South changed from one type of bootlegging industry to another: copying and selling records.
—JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for bootleg
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bootleg
Noun
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According to the police news release, Fabianski was charged with criminal mischief, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, possession of alcohol under 21, and driving under the influence.—
Escher Walcott,
People.com,
1 Mar. 2025
-
In 2018, The Lancet published research using 26 years of global data in an attempt to determine how much alcohol is safe.—
Avery Hurt,
Discover Magazine,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
But could unauthorized immigration hurt salaries in Idaho? Probably not, according to a February 2024 University of Idaho report examining the state’s economy and immigrants who do not have permanent legal status.—
Carolyn Komatsoulis,
Idaho Statesman,
1 Mar. 2025
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Last month, Lightfoot said the village’s credit cards were used for unauthorized projects, WGN-TV reported.—
Jonathan Limehouse,
USA TODAY,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Beginning in September 2022, the FBI and Hartford Police Department interviewed several Mexican nationals who alleged that they were smuggled from Mexico into the U.S. and transported to Hartford, court records show.—
Staff report,
Hartford Courant,
8 Mar. 2025
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The Jalisco cartel is better known for producing millions of doses of deadly fentanyl and smuggling them into the U.S. disguised to look like Xanax, Percocet or oxycodone.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Spencer takes one look at the contraband booze stockpiled in the backroom of the upscale establishment Maceo runs and realizes that the dude is in the Mob.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
2 Mar. 2025
-
Seeing it three or more times—as is the case for booze bottles, monkeys and gorillas, elephants, and many other subjects and objects in Pollock's paintings—makes those images very unlikely to be randomly provoked perceptions without any basis in reality.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Then there's the question of whether parents want merchandising opportunities to shape the programming their kids watch.—
Alana Semuels,
TIME,
14 Feb. 2025
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Ken Kremer, a merchandising manager, said his brother has walked home from work for the past month because his car needed repairs.—
Nollyanne Delacruz,
The Mercury News,
13 Feb. 2025
Noun
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In recent years, many theater venues have introduced at-seat ordering, offering the convenience of having drinks and snacks delivered directly to theatergoers, eliminating the need to queue during intermission.—
David Nikel,
Forbes,
6 Mar. 2025
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From milkshakes to crisp seasonal lemonades, their drink menu is nearly as robust as their sandwich menu.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
6 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The government responded with an affidavit, supposedly from a prominent general, saying that the land had to be cleared and fenced off for military reasons, to prevent terror attacks.—
Gershom Gorenberg,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2025
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Nearby, the Chicago Department of Transportation fenced off the area under the Bryn Mawr viaduct after the campsite underneath it was cleared.—
Caroline Kubzansky,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
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But the season's No. 1 takeaway was clear: Never drink Mags Bennett's apple pie moonshine.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
19 Feb. 2025
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Similar to moonshine, that unsavory reputation still follows the modern spirit.—
Maggie Menderski,
The Courier-Journal,
29 Oct. 2024
Articles Related to bootleg
Cite this Entry
“Bootleg.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bootleg. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.
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