Meaning & use
bootlegging
Last updated
The illegal production, distribution, or sale of goods, especially alcohol or unauthorized copies of recordings.
See it in a sentence
During Prohibition, bootlegging alcohol became a lucrative criminal enterprise.
The band shut down an operation that had been bootlegging unauthorized copies of their concert.
A note on using this word
Originally referred to smuggling liquor hidden in a boot leg; the term later expanded to cover any illegally produced or distributed goods, like bootleg DVDs or recordings.
Words with a similar meaning
smuggling
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