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.
Related Words
Relevance
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 black-market
Charles Trepany, USA Today, 18 June 2025
Many made their own, reused them, or bought them at black-market prices.
—Will Ripley, CNN Money, 18 June 2025
Ted Johnson, Deadline, 2 June 2025
But unlike in Colorado or California, recreational users in Texas will be largely out of luck — or will turn to the black market, state Democrats argued.
—Saul Elbein, The Hill, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for black-market
Noun
Yikes: People are getting black-market silicone injected into their butts.
—Charles Trepany, USA Today, 18 June 2025
Many made their own, reused them, or bought them at black-market prices.
—Will Ripley, CNN Money, 18 June 2025
Verb
He was featured in Marquardt’s 2021 report on the exorbitant fees being demanded on the black market to evacuate Afghans during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 2 June 2025
But unlike in Colorado or California, recreational users in Texas will be largely out of luck — or will turn to the black market, state Democrats argued.
—Saul Elbein, The Hill, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for black-market
Recent Examples of Synonyms for black-market
Noun
-
Powell in attendance: Heat trade acquisition Norman Powell was in attendance, seated with Erik Spoelstra and the coaching staff across from the Heat bench.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
15 July 2025
-
The proposal, championed by Senator Lindsey Graham, was meant to stop India and China from financing Russia’s military through the oil trade.—
Simon Shuster,
Time,
15 July 2025
Verb
-
On June 1, using hundreds of short-range one-way attack drones smuggled deep into Russian territory, Ukraine was able to significantly damage or destroy at least 11 Russian strategic bombers as part of its Operation Spider’s Web.—
Michael C. Horowitz,
Foreign Affairs,
4 July 2025
-
Meanwhile, the Astors, who had amassed a nearly obscene amount of real estate in New York City, became the country’s first multimillionaires by smuggling opium.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
3 July 2025
Noun
-
Existing in somewhat of a gray market in Maryland over the past several years, local hemp businesses have been able to grow, process and sell their products without the need for a cannabis license.—
Dan Belson,
Baltimore Sun,
16 June 2025
-
You shouldn’t be worried as long as the filler is FDA-approved, purchased from a legitimate source (not gray market) and injected by a qualified professional.—
Carlos Wolf,
Miami Herald,
19 June 2025
Verb
-
Our community’s green space has been treated as expendable, bartered away for the benefit of an outside sports franchise.—
John Herbst,
Sun Sentinel,
5 July 2025
-
But while metal coins were more convenient than bartering, they were limited by the ability to mine precious metals.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
30 May 2025
Noun
-
The record-breaking flash floods have destroyed homes, businesses, and crippled local infrastructure.—
Nikki McCann Ramirez,
Rolling Stone,
7 July 2025
-
Whether your business is contemplating a first-time MSP relationship or evaluating your current partner, these internal best practices are essential.—
Nolan Garrett,
Forbes.com,
7 July 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
-
Advertisement Of course, there’s not a whole lot regulators can do to make a marketplace more competitive.—
Alana Semuels,
Time,
15 July 2025
-
There’s quite simply no way, short of Nvidia retreating from the marketplace altogether, that the world won’t see its technology.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Verb
-
The noon Christmas in July event began with a lunch, then residents exchanged gifts during a popular seasonal game called white elephant – where typically low-cost items or interesting things lying around the house are wrapped and put in play.—
Jesse Wright,
Chicago Tribune,
8 July 2025
-
While chasing the suspect later in the morning, officers exchanged gunfire with the man and killed him.—
Claudia Levens,
jsonline.com,
8 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Black-market.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/black-market. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share