To smuggle means to move something secretly from one place to another, usually because it's against the rules or the law. Someone who smuggles is called a smuggler. People smuggle things past border guards, through security checkpoints, or into places where those items are forbidden.

Throughout history, smugglers have hidden illegal goods in secret compartments, inside hollowed-out books, or under false floorboards. Some famous smugglers hid contraband in barrels of fish or sewed jewels into coat linings. Modern smugglers might hide items in car doors or shipping containers.

The word often involves crossing borders: smuggling diamonds out of a country, smuggling weapons into a war zone, or smuggling rare animals in violation of wildlife protection laws. But you can smuggle things in everyday situations too. A student might try to smuggle their phone into class when phones aren't allowed, or smuggle snacks into a movie theater that prohibits outside food.

While smuggling snacks might seem small, serious smuggling causes real harm: it funds criminal organizations, endangers rare species, and breaks laws meant to protect people. The secrecy is what makes it smuggling rather than simply carrying or transporting something. If you're hiding it because you know you shouldn't have it there, you're attempting to smuggle it.