black marketnoun [ C usually singular ]
uk/ˌblæk ˈmɑː.kɪt/us/ˌblæk ˈmɑːr.kɪt/illegal trading of goods that are not allowed to be bought and sold, or that there are not enough of for everyone who wants them:
During the war, they bought food on the black market.
They blamed high taxes for the growth of a black market in cigarettes.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Buying & selling - general words
- all-you-can-eat
- barter
- bottom
- brokerage
- channel
- cold-calling
- come/go under the hammer idiom
- first refusal
- high street
- hock
- market share
- pawn
- pay
- procurement
- the grey market
- trade
- trade route
- trading
- transaction
- under the counter idiom
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Trafficking & racketeering
black marketeer
noun [ C ] ukus