contraband

CEFRB2

/ˈkɒn.tɹəˌbænd/

noun · adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    Goods that are forbidden to bring into or take from a country.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A black slave during the American Civil War who had escaped to, or been captured by, Union forces.

Examples

  • Examples in smuggling include suitcases with false bottoms for hiding contraband.

  • The customs agent searched Tom for contraband.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
3

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. Goods which are prohibited from being traded, smuggled goods.

  2. Any goods which are illicit or illegal to possess.

adjective

Extra meaning

  1. Prohibited from being traded.

More examples

In context

  • 4. Contraband goods may be seized if found in a river before they are landed or offered for sale.

  • The exclusion of mandatory payment of moieties for seizures of contraband controlled substances is accomplished through Section 17 of the bill, …

  • Contraband may be confiscated.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

Customs officers discovered hidden blank in the false bottom of the suitcase.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Spanish contrabanda (modern spelling contrabando), from Italian contrabando (modern spelling contrabbando), from contra (“against”) + bando (“ban”), and reinforced by French contrebande.