noun / adjective
contraband
KON-truh-band/ˈkɑːntrəbænd/
Goods forbidden by law or rules to be possessed or traded.
The customs officer discovers contraband inside the suitcase's false bottom.
Etymology
Literally “against a proclamation,” contraband first described unlawful dealing or smuggling. The name then shifted from the prohibited activity to the goods themselves.
In context
corridor for drug trafficking and illegal alien smuggling in the United States. The flow of the contraband normally is drugs and people going east and then the proceeds from that contraband and weapons going back west.
More examples
- The guard finds contraband hidden inside a prisoner's mattress.
- Police seize a truck carrying contraband cigarettes.
- The camp treats personal cell phones as contraband.
Similar words
- illicit
- Describes unlawful goods or activities, not the goods themselves.
- prohibited
- Means expressly forbidden, including actions unrelated to possessing goods.