bootlegger
noun
boot·leg·ger
ˈbüt-ˌle-gər 
-ˌlā-
plural bootleggers
: one who bootlegs something: such as
a
: a person who makes or sells alcoholic liquor illegally
… in sleepy little St-Hilaire, once a Prohibition boom town, from which bootleggers smuggled truckloads of whisky into the U.S. …—
Will Ferguson
Will FergusonMost of us associate the pocket flask with the Roaring Twenties era of the bootlegger and the speakeasy …—Linda Rosenkrantz
Linda Rosenkrantz
b
: a person who produces, reproduces, or distributes something (such as a recording) illicitly or without authorization
As part of his job, Schoenfeld is charged with ferreting out record bootleggers and protecting the copyright interests of record labels.—Holly Gleason
Holly Gleason… the conversation ran from how the different companies project returns on direct mail to efforts to crack down on software bootleggers.—Leslie Brokaw
Leslie Brokaw
Examples of bootlegger in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The audience numbered perhaps fifty people, including several dancing couples and two bootleggers, whose taping rigs sat on their tables, beside their chicken wings.
—Justin Taylor, The New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2024
For years, the Templeton story centered around the period during Prohibition when bootleggers set up shop in Iowa, with the brand even claiming that the original Templeton rye whiskey was Al Capone’s preferred drink.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 5 Apr. 2024
While Formula 1 evolved from international competitions between governments, car manufacturers, and millionaires, NASCAR started out as races between moonshiners and bootleggers who modified cars to outrun cops.
—David Hill, Rolling Stone, 14 Jan. 2024
Klansmen raided bootlegger operations, then had the gall to bill cities $11,200 for their services.
—Patt Morrisoncolumnist, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2023
The legendary Hollywood actress early in her career plays a character aptly named Lily Powers, a tenacious daughter of a brutal bootlegger played by Robert Barrat, who pushed her as a teen into prostitution.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Nov. 2023
That April, another local bootlegger, Kelsie Morrison (Louis Cancelmi), and Bryan Burkhart were charged with Anna's murder.
—Megan McCluskey, TIME, 20 Oct. 2023
Sturgill Simpson Another noteworthy country singer-songwriter, Sturgill Simpson plays the bootlegger Henry Grammer.
—Rob Ledonne, New York Times, 21 Oct. 2023
In the 1920s, Moonlight Beach was popular with sunbathers, race-horse aficionados and bootleggers, who used the beach as a hooch drop-off point.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Oct. 2023
Justin Taylor, The New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2024
For years, the Templeton story centered around the period during Prohibition when bootleggers set up shop in Iowa, with the brand even claiming that the original Templeton rye whiskey was Al Capone’s preferred drink.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 5 Apr. 2024
While Formula 1 evolved from international competitions between governments, car manufacturers, and millionaires, NASCAR started out as races between moonshiners and bootleggers who modified cars to outrun cops.
—David Hill, Rolling Stone, 14 Jan. 2024
Klansmen raided bootlegger operations, then had the gall to bill cities $11,200 for their services.
—Patt Morrisoncolumnist, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2023
The legendary Hollywood actress early in her career plays a character aptly named Lily Powers, a tenacious daughter of a brutal bootlegger played by Robert Barrat, who pushed her as a teen into prostitution.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Nov. 2023
That April, another local bootlegger, Kelsie Morrison (Louis Cancelmi), and Bryan Burkhart were charged with Anna's murder.
—Megan McCluskey, TIME, 20 Oct. 2023
Sturgill Simpson Another noteworthy country singer-songwriter, Sturgill Simpson plays the bootlegger Henry Grammer.
—Rob Ledonne, New York Times, 21 Oct. 2023
In the 1920s, Moonlight Beach was popular with sunbathers, race-horse aficionados and bootleggers, who used the beach as a hooch drop-off point.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bootlegger.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near bootlegger
Cite this Entry
“Bootlegger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bootlegger. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share