Meanings
plural bootleggers
- Someone who bootlegs.
- One who is illegally a producer and/or trader of goods, especially of alcohol.
His sermon was a forthright denunciation of sin, an austere declaration of the motto on the wall behind him: he warned his flock against the evils of heady brews, gambling, and strange women. Bootleggers caused enough trouble in the Quarters, but women were worse.
1960 July 11, Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, Philadelphia, Pa.; New York, N.Y.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott Company, →OCLC - One who breaks intellectual property laws by reproducing protected works without permission.
Synonyms: pirate
Synonyms & antonyms
nounOne who breaks intellectual property laws by reproducing protected works without permission.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From bootleg + -er. Originally a nickname given to smugglers in King George III's reign, derived from the smugglers' custom of hiding packages of valuables in the legs of their large sea-boots when dodging the king's coastguardsmen.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 私酒販 /私酒贩, 走私販 /走私贩
- 私酒販 /私酒贩illegal trader
- 走私販 /走私贩illegal trader
- 非法礦工 /非法矿工 (fēifǎ kuànggōng)miner who mines illegally
Finnish salakauppias, trokari
- salakauppiasillegal trader
- trokariillegal trader
- viinatrokariillegal trader
- laitonta kaivosta kaivava kaivostyöntekijäminer who mines illegally
French bootlegger, trafiquant
- bootleggerillegal trader
- trafiquantillegal trader
German Schwarzhändler
- Schwarzhändlerillegal trader
Italian contrabbandiere, trafficante
- contrabbandiereillegal trader
- trafficanteillegal trader
Japanese 密売者, 密造者
- 密売者 (mitsubaisha)illegal trader
- 密造者 (mitsuzōsha)illegal trader
- 密輸者 (mitsuyusha)illegal trader
Korean 밀매자, 밀수자
- 밀매자 (milmaeja)illegal trader
- 밀수자 (milsuja)illegal trader
Polish przemytnik, przemytniczka
- przemytnikillegal trader
- przemytniczkaillegal trader
Russian бутле́гер, незако́нный торго́вец спиртны́ми напи́тками
- бутле́гер (butléger)illegal trader
- незако́нный торго́вец спиртны́ми напи́тками (nezakónnyj torgóvec spirtnými napítkami)illegal trader
Spanish traficante, contrabandista
- traficanteillegal trader
- contrabandistaillegal trader
Swedish langare
- langareillegal trader
Cite this entry
bootlegger. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bootlegger
“bootlegger.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bootlegger. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bootlegger,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bootlegger.
Source: bootlegger on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.