Advertisement

View synonyms for bootleg

bootleg

[ boot-leg ]

noun

  1. alcoholic liquor unlawfully made, sold, or transported, without registration or payment of taxes.
  2. the part of a boot that covers the leg.
  3. something, as a recording, made, reproduced, or sold illegally or without authorization:

    a flurry of bootlegs to cash in on the rock star's death.



verb (used with object)

, boot·legged, boot·leg·ging.
  1. to deal in (liquor or other goods) unlawfully.

verb (used without object)

, boot·legged, boot·leg·ging.
  1. to make, transport, or sell something, especially liquor, illegally or without registration or payment of taxes.

adjective

  1. made, sold, or transported unlawfully.
  2. illegal or clandestine.
  3. of or relating to bootlegging.

bootleg

/ ˈbuːtˌlɛɡ /

verb

  1. to make, carry, or sell (illicit goods, esp alcohol)


noun

  1. something made or sold illicitly, such as alcohol during Prohibition in the US
  2. an illegally made copy of a CD, tape, etc

adjective

  1. produced, distributed, or sold illicitly

    bootleg whisky

    bootleg tapes

Discover More

Derived Forms

  • ˈbootˌlegger, noun

Discover More

Other Words From

  • boot·leg·ger noun

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of bootleg1

An Americanism first recorded in 1625–35; boot 1 + leg; secondary senses arose from practice of hiding a liquor bottle in the leg of one's boot

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of bootleg1

C17: see boot 1, leg ; from the practice of smugglers of carrying bottles of liquor concealed in their boots

Discover More

Example Sentences

So naturally, the team had Jones fake the handoff to Barkley and run a short bootleg to his right before passing to fullback Chris Myarick for the score.

Even when offensive coordinator Scott Turner tried to scheme easier looks for Wentz, like on play action or a bootleg, he couldn’t find a rhythm.

Called back-to-back in the red zone, both plays feature the same formation, the same pre-snap motion, the same offensive line movement, a similar path for the running back and identical bootleg action from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

Chi was part of this generation, newly trading bootleg tapes and suddenly exposed to international films, surfing the web, and delighting in media and technology.

They had to break laws and sometimes run from the cops to get there, with some even crafting bootleg blue AT hangtags typically issued by the conservancy to dangle from their packs.

The patrons repaid the mob by buying cheap liquor at premium prices, along with bootleg cigarettes and sometimes drugs.

Some of them, we had no idea they existed—like the first Bootleg Series that we put out a few years ago, The Personal File.

But on the other side of the glass door, bootleg magic is being made.

It also became a popular bootleg that was sold on street corners, reported MTV News.

The “bootleg chemistry” results in a drug that is notoriously impure and often contains a lethal mix of toxins.

Breakfast to-day consists of some kind of porridge, with the usual bootleg and punk.

At dawn he came down in a coast hamlet for bootleg petrol and oil.

Each of the chums carried a heavy rifle slung over his shoulder and under his arm, the muzzle pointing down his bootleg.

He stuck one willow wand into his bootleg for emergency, and then used the other to prod the maverick.

Having written he unlaced his boot on the right foot, folded the paper, and thrust it into the bootleg.

Advertisement

Word of the Day

tortuous

[tawr-choo-uhs ]

Meaning and examples

Start each day with the Word of the Day in your inbox!

By clicking "Sign Up", you are accepting Dictionary.com Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policies.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


Bootlebootlegged