black-market

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verb

black-mar·ket ˈblak-ˈmär-kət

black-marketed; black-marketing; black-markets

intransitive verb

: to buy or sell goods in the black market

transitive verb

: to sell in the black market

black marketer noun

or black marketeer

ˈblak-ˌmär-kə-ˈtir

black marketeering

ˈblak-ˌmär-kə-ˈtir-iŋ

noun

black market

2 of 2

noun

: illicit trade in goods or commodities in violation of official regulations

also : a place where such trade is carried on

Example Sentences

Noun The black market in prescription drugs is thriving. They unloaded the stolen goods on the black market.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

French bulldogs, which can fetch a high price on the black market, have been targeted in a string of L.A.-area robberies in recent years.

Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2022 At one point, a board member seemingly singles out a striking scene in Maus I, where Vladek sees four Jews, executed for trading on the black market, hanging on a central street in the Polish city of Sosnowiec in 1942.

Hillary Chute, The Atlantic, 21 Nov. 2022 In his home city of Divandarreh, Mr. Kurd drove a bus and transported small electrical appliances for sale on the black market — work that carried the risk of being shot by security forces.

Sangar Khaleel Emily Garthwaite, New York Times, 20 Nov. 2022 Catalytic converters can cost more than $1,000 each on the black market, the DOJ said.

CBS News, 4 Nov. 2022 China began importing from Indonesia and Russia - countries that international environmental groups warn do not follow renewable-forestry practices and where wood is known to be traded on the black market.

John Schmid, jsonline.com, 2 Nov. 2022 The inspections come after Russia and some Republicans in Congress have alleged that weapons and military equipment sent to Ukraine may have ended up on the black market.

Phil Mccausland, NBC News, 31 Oct. 2022 Despite various attempts to prop up the value of the currency, the Lebanese pound has plummeted in the black market as the country has been roiled by the liquidity crisis.

Quartz, 1 Nov. 2022 Others still may be considering black market stimulants as substitutes.

WIRED, 26 Oct. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'black-market.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.