What does "bootlegging" mean?

Engaging in economic production or distribution in an illegal way.; The activity of making, transporting and/or selling illegal alcoholic liquor.

Bootlegging

Common synonyms include: black market, bootleg, copyright infringement, gambling, illegal, illegal copying.

noun, verb

noun, verb ·3 syllables ·Uncommon ·College level

Noun

1
Engaging in economic production or distribution in an illegal way.; The activity of making, transporting and/or selling illegal alcoholic liquor. countable, uncountable
2
the act of making or transporting alcoholic liquor for sale illegally wordnet
3
Engaging in economic production or distribution in an illegal way.; The activity of making, transporting and/or selling an illegal version or copy of a copyrighted product. countable, uncountable
4
the act of selling illegally or without permission wordnet
5
Engaging in economic production or distribution in an illegal way.; The activity of operating a mine illicitly. countable, uncountable

Verb

"The number of criminals involved in bootlegging outnumbered the federal agents who tried to enforce the law."