Meaning & use

black market

noun·Academic

Illegal trade in goods or currency, carried out in violation of official regulations.

See it in a sentence

During the shortage, gasoline was sold at inflated prices on the black market.

Counterfeit medicine is a growing problem on the black market in several countries.

A note on using this word

Black market describes the trade itself, and is also used as an adjective, as in black-market goods.

Words with a similar meaning

underground economy

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

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