black market 1 of 2

as in trade
a system through which things are bought and sold illegally The black market in prescription drugs is thriving. They unloaded the stolen goods on the black market.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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black-market

2 of 2

verb

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 black market
Noun
On the black market, placards go for as much as twenty-six hundred dollars. Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 5 May 2025 Healthcare data is especially valuable on the black market because it can be exploited for long periods without easy detection. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 3 May 2025
Verb
Under Fidan's direction, Turkey facilitated ISIS' financing operations—including black-market oil and illicit antiquities sales. Sinan Ciddi and Jonathan Schanzer, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025 But with success, came legal troubles and rumors of black-market operations. Will Yakowicz, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for black market
Recent Examples of Synonyms for black market
Noun
  • Yes, deploying them can help U.S. manufacturers compete against the unfair, subsidized trade practices of other countries.
    Ethan Karp, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
  • Hapag-Lloyd’s move reflects the industry at large, which has sought to add more capacity on the trans-Pacific trade lane to capitalize on shippers’ rush to get cargo space ahead of tariff deadlines in July and August.
    Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 9 June 2025
Verb
  • Ukraine's Security Service smuggled first-person view drones laden with small explosives onto trucks driven deep into Russia.
    Charles Maynes, NPR, 2 June 2025
  • The man tried to smuggle the 17 exotic birds on May 4 via the San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Diego, according to a complaint filed in federal court.
    Sara Schilling, Sacbee.com, 21 May 2025
Noun
  • The city is moving aggressively to shut down the once-thriving gray market — a matter of public safety, and also essential for the legal medical cannabis industry to thrive.
    Anna Spiegel, Axios, 24 Apr. 2025
  • Additionally, appropriate pricing strategies can assist in mitigating some of the challenges associated with the gray market.
    Bhavesh Gupta, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Look for the best deal, prepare to barter and make your money stretch.
    Eugenia Last, Mercury News, 29 Apr. 2025
  • But Hurley says the goal is to open the door to the possibility of bartering.
    Kyle Norris, NPR, 11 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • But some storefronts have shuttered as fear has spread, said Marie Jean-Francois, 45, one business owner there.
    Mark Bonamo, New York Times, 1 June 2025
  • The best businesses are the ones that disrupt themselves before they are disrupted.
    Bryce Hoffman, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
Verb
  • In 1920s Anaheim, the big local issue was bootlegging and Catholics, who were seen as foreigners in what was supposed to be an Anglo-Saxon Protestant country.
    Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2025
  • In Chicago, as in other major cities, a few high-profile mobsters battled it out for bootlegging supremacy.
    Sarah Holzmann, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • The requirement for clean, reliable and secure data that can adapt to the changing demands of internal and external partners has become a table stake for forward-thinking companies in this marketplace.
    Lori Schafer, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
  • The enhanced premium tax credits were first available in 2021, then extended a year later, to help more Americans pay for health coverage in the individual marketplace.
    Brewster Bevis, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 June 2025
Verb
  • During their last meeting in May, both countries agreed to exchange their requirements for a ceasefire.
    Jade Walker, CNN Money, 2 June 2025
  • The May 16 talks also led to a swap of prisoners, with 1,000 on both sides being exchanged.
    Mehmet Guzel, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Black market.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/black%20market. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.

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