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View synonyms for

confiscate

[kon-fuh-skeyt, kuhn-fis-kit]

verb (used with object)

confiscated, confiscating 
  1. to seize as forfeited to the public domain; appropriate, by way of penalty, for public use.

  2. to seize by or as if by authority; appropriate summarily.

    The border guards confiscated our movie cameras.



adjective

  1. seized or appropriated, as for public use.

confiscate

/ ˈɒԴɪˌɪ /

verb

  1. to seize (property), esp for public use and esp by way of a penalty

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. seized or confiscated; forfeit

  2. having lost or been deprived of property through confiscation

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • confiscatable adjective
  • confiscation noun
  • confiscator noun
  • reconfiscate verb (used with object)
  • unconfiscated adjective
  • ˌDzԴھˈپDz noun
  • ˈDzԴھˌٴǰ noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of confiscate1

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin DzԴھٳܲ “seized,” past participle of DzԴھ “to seize for the public treasury,” equivalent to con- con- + fisc(us) “basket, moneybag, public treasury” ( fiscal ) + -, verb infinitive suffix
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Word History and Origins

Origin of confiscate1

C16: from Latin DzԴھ to seize for the public treasury, from fiscus basket, treasury
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Their phones and passports were confiscated, and they were told they were now part of a cartel.

From

Owners have sometimes been arrested and dogs confiscated for being walked in public.

From

It featured 650 works confiscated from German museums and judged by a panel to represent "decadence," "weakness of character," "mental disease," "racial impurity" and other hallmarks of Weimar-era modernity.

From

Denmark came under glaring international attention for its hardline refugee stance, after it allowed the authorities to confiscate asylum seekers' jewellery and other valuables, saying this was to pay towards their stay in Denmark.

From

Medina said he didn’t know what that meant, but his ex-wife told him the police arrested their son and confiscated a gun.

From

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confiscableconfiscation