bootleg 1 of 3

noun

ˈbüt-ˌleg How to pronounce bootleg (audio)
Definition of bootlegnext
as in alcohol
illegally produced liquor getting caught with bootleg during Prohibition could have resulted in a jail sentence

Synonyms & Similar Words

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bootleg

2 of 3

adjective

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.

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

bootleg

3 of 3

verb

as in to smuggle

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of bootleg
Noun
Yolo County prosecutors have said he was connected to the bootleg fireworks that killed the girl. — Joe Rubin, Sacbee.com, 4 July 2026 Not long after the revolution, bootleg audio and videotapes began circulating in Tehran. — Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 29 June 2026
Verb
After the songs were bootlegged for years, Coe began selling them on his website in 2000, though without his name on them. — Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026 With Dallas leading 27-21 and San Francisco driving late in the fourth quarter, Joe Montana and the 49ers lined up in a split formation, with Montana bootlegging out to the right upon taking the snap. — R.j. Coyle, Dallas Morning News, 25 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bootleg
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bootleg
  1. alcohol
  2. unauthorized
  3. smuggle
  4. booze
  5. merchandise
  6. drink
  7. fence
  8. moonshine
Noun
  • So is controlling blood pressure, treating chronic conditions such as diabetes, avoiding smoking, limiting excessive alcohol use, getting enough sleep and maintaining a healthy weight.
    — Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
  • People have been advised to avoid sunlight, sweet carbonated drinks, coffee and alcohol.
    — Scott Simon, NPR, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of alcohol
Adjective
  • Residents have also voiced concerns about unauthorized people in other parts of the building.
    — Tim McNicholas, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Whatever the judge ultimately decides, the case will continue on copyright claims involving allegedly unauthorized samples of sound recordings owned by the plaintiffs.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of unauthorized
Verb
  • Jester called his mother after she was caught smuggling the fentanyl.
    — Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Taiwanese authorities in March investigated three men for trying to smuggle Super Micro computer servers containing advanced Nvidia chips to China.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of smuggle
Noun
  • In response, the town shifted its marketing to late-night booze-ups and wedding parties (known, in British parlance, as stag dos and hen dos), and subsequently grew a reputation as a sandcastle Sodom.
    — George Francis Lee, New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Wallace and his partners would simply walk in the stores, grab bottles of booze and walk out without paying, BSO spokeswoman Claudinne Caro said.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of booze
Verb
  • As shoppers seek physical stores this upcoming holiday, retailers need to ensure brick-and-mortar stores are well-staffed and neatly merchandised as well as stocked with in-demand inventory.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • PlusOne will be merchandised within the Wellness by Ulta Beauty areas in stores, alongside other wellness solutions.
    — Sharon Edelson, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
Definition of merchandise
Noun
  • Modern Druidic offerings often take the form of (usually vegetarian) food and drink, including alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026
  • In the offer, consumers get an entrée, chips and salsa and a non-alcoholic drink.
    — Alex Harring, CNBC, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of drink
Verb
  • The park is fenced, the entrance has a guard in the gatehouse and the beach closes at sunset.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • After the report where that finding was made, the state officially closed down and fenced off the facility.
    — Kori McNair, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of fence
Noun
  • The Carnaval de Guaranda, for instance, takes inspiration from a rowdy annual fiesta held in the Bolivar Province and is made with vodka, hops, figs, white truffle, turmeric, and a local moonshine called pájaro azul.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 July 2026
  • Barthel laments that anti-cannabis laws encouraged growers to develop highly potent strains, just as Prohibition in the 1920s put potentially lethal moonshine into circulation.
    — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 6 July 2026
Definition of moonshine

Browse Nearby Words

booting (up)
bootleg
bootlegged
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bootleg.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bootleg. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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