contraband

noun

1. 1

   Any goods which are illicit or illegal to possess.

2. 2

   Goods which are prohibited from being traded, smuggled goods.

3. 3

   historicalA black slave during the American Civil War who had escaped to, or been captured by, Union forces.

   While some Yanks treated contrabands with a degree of equity or benevolence, the more typical response was indifference, contempt, or cruelty.

adjective

1. 1

   Prohibited from being traded.

   … when the seizure is made in connection with a violation involving a contraband article covered by section 1 (b) (1) of the said Act; …

   The exclusion of mandatory payment of moieties for seizures of contraband controlled substances is accomplished through Section 17 of the bill, …

   4. Contraband goods may be seized if found in a river before they are landed or offered for sale.

verb

1. 1

   obsoleteTo import illegally; to smuggle.

   there are also searched for concealed Slaves, and goods contrabanded

2. 2

   obsoleteTo declare prohibited; to forbid.

   The law severely contrabands / Our taking business off men's hands.

Forms

plural

contrabands

comparative

more contraband

superlative

most contraband

past tense

contrabanded

past participle

contrabanded

present participle

contrabanding

third person singular

contrabands