Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

black market

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.06 in modern English

Syllables: black- -mar-ket
IPA

25

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

4

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Trade that is in violation of restrictions, rationing, or price controls.

noun

The people who engage in such trade, or that sector of the economy.

Example Sentences

"Peace and order will not be tolerated. Start saving your cash for the black market, folks, you're gonna need it."
"In District 12, a dirt-poor coal-mining community that looks like a Dorothea Lange photograph, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) quietly rebels against the system by hunting game in a forbidden area with her friend Gale (Liam Hemsworth) and trading it on the black market."
"Increasing numbers of people are turning to a growing black market for food to supplement their diets as prices rocket, experts have said."
"associational black market"

Etymology

Ca. 1930, probably a calque of German Schwarzmarkt, which is attested from the 1910s. Compare Schwärzer (“smuggler”, 18th c.).

Inflected Forms

black markets (plural) black-market (alternative, attributive)

Phrases

black marketeer black economy

Frequently Paired Words

black economy

Synonyms

run

Questions

What does black market mean?: Trade that is in violation of restrictions, rationing, or price controls.
Where does black market come from?: Ca. 1930, probably a calque of German Schwarzmarkt, which is attested from the 1910s. Compare Schwärzer (“smuggler”, 18th c.).

How to pronounce black market

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