Synonyms & related words for contraband

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of contraband — including smuggling, bootleg, gunrunning, illicit, illegal, narcotics. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to contraband

Explore words related to contraband — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include smuggled, contrabandist, smugglers, trafficking, traffickers, smuggles, rumrunner, gunrunner. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for contraband

Common synonyms for contraband include smuggling, bootleg, gunrunning, illicit, illegal, narcotics, interdiction, unlawful — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does contraband come from?

The word contraband breaks down into 2 roots of Latin and Frankish origin: contra-, from Latin contra (“against, opposite”); and -band, from Frankish bannum (“proclamation, ban”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.