contraband

C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Technical

n. items that are not allowed in a specific place, such as a prison or a school.

n. items that are prohibited within the confines of a specific institution or environment. Often used in the context of correctional facilities.

“The guards found a mobile phone, which is considered contraband in the prison.”

“The facility has strict policies regarding contraband to ensure the safety of both staff and inmates.”

C1 · Advanced Law Formal · Technical

adj. describes something that is illegal to buy, sell, or move.

adj. relating to or being goods that are prohibited by law or treaty from being imported or exported.

“The police seized the contraband tobacco during a raid on the warehouse.”

“The treaty specifically lists certain chemicals as contraband materials that cannot be traded between the two nations.”

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun American English · Archaic

n. a term used during the American Civil War for enslaved people who escaped to the North.

n. a term used during the American Civil War to describe an enslaved person who escaped to or was brought within Union lines. Countable in this specific historical sense.

“During the war, many people sought freedom and were known as contrabands.”

“Historians study the lives of contrabands to understand the complex transition from slavery to freedom during the 1860s.”