underground market
1
5.6
- noun
- /ˈʌndərˌɡraʊnd ˈmɑrkɪt/
:
mercado negro
- Goldstein (1989) labels this type of violence as systemic (i.e., violence associated with the need to work or do business in an underground market).
Examples
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All prohibition does is move the banned product to an underground market where it is controlled by criminals.
Blog text (2) -
In response to these conditions, an underground market in foreign currency, or, in the terms used here, a black market, typically develops.
Academic text (1991) -
And in the case of an underground market, one must recognize the possible consequences.
Blog text (28) -
Why does the Vicksburg Firearms company make it so easy to buy these guns on the underground market?
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Marijuana prohibition has proven to be the worst possible system when it comes to protecting teens, driving marijuana into the underground market where proof of age is not required and where other illegal products might be available.
Blog text (10) -
THERE'S A BIG UNDERGROUND MARKET FOR WHALE MEAT.
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Among the many problems American Indians have to contend with today is the removal of their ancestors' remains along with sacred tribal items from burial grounds for the purpose of scientific study and museum display, or for sale through the underground market and at auctions.
Academic text (1996) -
Effectively implemented, the new laws could offer fiscal benefits in terms of reducing criminal justice costs and increasing tax revenues, public safety benefits in terms of transforming a criminal underground market into a legally regulated above-ground part of local economies, and public health benefits in terms of regulating the quality and potency of substances consumed by millions of Americans.
Blog text (2) -
The government is struggling to control the underground market for illegal firearms.
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Many artists resort to selling their work in an underground market to avoid high gallery fees.
Synonyms
1
6.3
A place where goods are sold without manufacturer permission, often cheaper and without warranty
How Illegal
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'underground' (hidden/clandestine) with 'market' (commerce): it denotes a market operating outside official regulation. This adjective+noun composition is cross-linguistically common (e.g., equivalents like 'black market'/'mercado negro') and follows ordinary modification patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both words will likely understand it.
Etymology
Underground market comes from the image of a market held 'underground'—in basements, tunnels or other hidden places—so people could trade without being seen. That's why it now means a hidden or 'illegal' system for buying and selling outside official rules.