smuggle
gb/smˈʌɡəl/ us/smˈʌɡəl/
B2
English
csempész, becsempész, kicsempész, belecsempész
VERB
B2
1
csempész
B2
Usage pattern:
smuggle [goods/someone] into/out of/across [a country/border]
Customs officers caught him trying to smuggle cocaine through the airport.
A vámosok elkapták, amikor kokaint próbált a repülőtéren keresztül átcsempészni.
The gang smuggled weapons across the border.
A banda fegyvereket csempészett át a határon.
Several families paid a driver to smuggle them into the country.
Learner examples
They tried to smuggle drugs in a suitcase.
Megpróbáltak drogokat becsempészni egy bőröndben.
Police stopped a truck smuggling people across the border.
A rendőrség megállított egy teherautót, amely embereket csempészett át a határon.
Common mistake:
Use smuggle for secret or illegal movement; use import or export for legal trade. A person who does this is a smuggler.
Meaning
Move illegally across borders
Collocations
smuggle drugs
|smuggle weapons
|smuggle contraband
|smuggle cigarettes
|smuggle cash
|smuggle migrants
|smuggle refugees
|smuggle across the border
|smuggle into the country
|smuggle out of the country
Synonyms
traffic (often suggests organized illegal trade, especially in drugs, weapons, or people)
|
sneak (more general and informal; not always illegal)
|
run (informal; often used for repeatedly moving contraband)
Antonyms
declare (to report goods officially at customs instead of hiding them)
|
import legally (to bring goods into a country through lawful channels)
Themes
crime
|law
|travel
|immigration
Definition
To secretly and illegally move things or people across a border.
To take, send, or bring goods or people into, out of, or across a country or border secretly and illegally.
VERB
B2
2
becsempész
B2
kicsempész
B2
Usage pattern:
smuggle [something] into/out of/past [a place/person]
We smuggled popcorn into the cinema in a backpack.
Hátizsákban becsempésztünk popcornt a moziba.
The prisoner smuggled a note out to his lawyer.
A rab kicsempészett egy üzenetet az ügyvédjének.
Security checks made it difficult to smuggle a camera past the gate.
Learner examples
She smuggled candy into class.
Becsempészett némi édességet az órára.
He tried to smuggle his phone into the exam.
Megpróbálta becsempészni a telefonját a vizsgára.
Common mistake:
Smuggle implies hiding something from someone; do not use it for normal open carrying.
Meaning
Sneak forbidden items into places
Collocations
smuggle snacks into a movie theater
|smuggle a phone into an exam
|smuggle alcohol into a concert
|smuggle a camera past security
|smuggle notes into class
|smuggle food into a hotel
|smuggle a letter out of prison
Synonyms
sneak (more informal and general)
|
slip (suggests moving something quietly or discreetly)
|
hide (focuses on concealment rather than movement)
Antonyms
hand over (to give something to an authority instead of hiding it)
|
show (to let someone see something rather than conceal it)
Themes
daily_life
|security
|school
|entertainment
Definition
To hide something and take it somewhere where it is not allowed.
To take or bring something into, out of, or past a place secretly, especially because it is not allowed there.
VERB
C1
3
belecsempész
C1
Usage pattern:
smuggle [an idea/message/joke/reference] into [something]
The writer smuggled a sharp criticism of the government into a comedy sketch.
Az író egy humoros jelenetbe csempészett bele egy éles kormánykritikát.
He managed to smuggle a reference to his favorite band into the presentation.
Sikerült az előadásba belecsempésznie egy utalást a kedvenc zenekarára.
The film smuggles serious questions about grief into a superhero story.
Learner examples
She smuggled a small joke into her speech.
Egy kis viccet csempészett a beszédébe.
The story smuggles in an important message.
A történet észrevétlenül belecsempész egy fontos üzenetet.
Common mistake:
This figurative use usually takes objects like idea, joke, message, or reference, not physical items.
Meaning
Slip ideas into content
Collocations
smuggle an idea into an article
|smuggle a joke into a speech
|smuggle a reference into a scene
|smuggle a message into a song
|smuggle a criticism into a report
|smuggle a detail into a story
|smuggle politics into a film
Synonyms
slip (casual; suggests adding something quietly)
|
sneak (informal; suggests doing it without people noticing)
|
weave in (suggests skillfully integrating something, with less sense of secrecy)
Antonyms
state openly (to express an idea directly rather than hide it)
|
exclude (to leave something out rather than put it in)
Themes
communication
|writing
|media
|creativity
Definition
To put an idea or message into a text, speech, film, or conversation in a hidden or subtle way.
To include or introduce an idea, message, joke, reference, or detail in something quietly or indirectly, so that it is not obvious at first.
Grammar
Dictionary form
smuggle
IPA
GB/smˈʌɡəl/
US/smˈʌɡəl/
Syllables & stress
smuggle (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (smuggle)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: smuggle
- 3rd Person Singular: smuggles
- Present Participle: smuggling
- Past: smuggled
Expressions
smuggle something through
1/smˈʌɡəl sˈʌmθɪŋ θɹˈu/
phrasal verb
Quietly pass for approval
To make people accept or approve a change without drawing attention to it.
Examples
- The company tried to smuggle the change through in a routine update to the contract.
- Opposition MPs accused the government of smuggling the policy through Parliament.
- The committee noticed the extra clause before anyone could smuggle it through.
Learner examples
- They tried to smuggle the new rule through quietly.