Meaning & use
bootlegger
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Meanings
nouncountableAmerican
A person who makes, carries, or sells alcohol illegally, especially in the United States during Prohibition.
Grammar: Countable; often in historical contexts.
Patterns
- a bootlegger of something
Bootleggers smuggled whiskey across the border in the 1920s.
The film follows a bootlegger who becomes a local hero.
Police raided the hideout of a notorious bootlegger.
nouncountable
A person who illegally copies and sells recordings, films, or other goods without permission.
Grammar: Modern use for pirated media: a bootlegger of concert recordings.
Patterns
- a bootlegger of something
Bootleggers sold copies of the film before it reached theaters.
The band complained about bootleggers recording their shows.
He worked as a bootlegger of rare records.
Word forms
| plural | bootleggers |
|---|
Common combinations
- notorious bootlegger
- The notorious bootlegger ran a hidden still.
- Prohibition-era bootlegger
- A Prohibition-era bootlegger hid barrels in a barn.
- bootlegger's trunk
- The bootlegger's trunk was packed with bottles.
- arrest a bootlegger
- Agents arrested a bootlegger on the highway.
- bootlegger of music
- The bootlegger of live music sold cassettes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- smuggler
- A smuggler moves goods across borders, but a bootlegger deals specifically in illegal alcohol or copies.
- moonshiner
- A moonshiner makes illegal liquor, but doesn't necessarily sell or transport it.
- pirate
- Pirate is used for illegal copying of media and software, not alcohol.
- rum-runner
- Rum-runner is a historical term for someone shipping alcohol by sea during Prohibition.
Word family
- bootleg verb
- to make or sell something illegally
- bootleg adjective
- made or sold illegally
- bootlegging noun
- the illegal trade in alcohol or copies
- bootleg noun
- an illegally made recording or product
Commonly confused: bootlegger or bootlicker?
bootlegger vs bootlicker
A bootlicker is someone who flatters people in power. It is a different insult and unrelated to smuggling.
Practice
In the 1920s, a bootlegger in America most likely sold what?
Choose one answer.
Bootleggers were linked to Prohibition and sold illegal alcohol. The other goods have no connection.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bootlegger”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.