rum-runner

noun

An alcohol smuggler, especially from the Prohibition era.

“Near-synonym: speedboat”

Similar
bootleggermoonshinershinergo-fast boatcigarette boatspeedboat
Opposite
revenuer
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Meanings

nounrum-runner (plural rum-runners)

plural rum-runners · alternative rumrunner · alternative rum runner

  1. CanadaUSAn alcohol smuggler, especially from the Prohibition era.

    Near-synonyms: bootlegger; moonshiner, shiner

    Synonyms: bootlegger, moonshiner, shiner · Antonyms: revenuer

  2. A fast boat used by these smugglers.
  3. Any fast boat of the sort.

    Near-synonym: speedboat

    Synonyms: go-fast boat, cigarette boat, speedboat

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAn alcohol smuggler, especially from the Prohibition era.

Similar
bootleggermoonshinershiner
Opposite
revenuer

nounAny fast boat of the sort.

Similar
go-fast boatcigarette boatspeedboat
Also see
cigarette boatcigarette-boatgo-fast boatmoonshiner

Origin

From rum + runner.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: rum-runner on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.