narco-state

noun

A state whose economy depends heavily on narcotics and other drugs.

“With the collapse of the government, there is a real danger the country will become a narco-state.”

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Meanings

nounnarco-state (plural narco-states)

plural narco-states · alternative narcostate

  1. A state whose economy depends heavily on narcotics and other drugs.

    With the collapse of the government, there is a real danger the country will become a narco-state.

    1 more example

    During his trial, prosecutors in New York said Hernández ran the Central American country like a "narco-state" and accepted millions of dollars in bribes from drug traffickers to shield them from the law.

    2025 November 29, Nadine Yousif, “Trump to pardon ex-Honduras president convicted of drug trafficking”, in BBC

Origin

From narco- + state.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

narco-state. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/narco-state

MLA

“narco-state.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/narco-state. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “narco-state,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/narco-state.

Source: narco-state on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.