confiscation

[kon-fuh-skey-shuhn]

noun

1. the act, as a penalty, of seizing or appropriating something for public use or for ownership by the state.

   The government introduced a bill allowing the confiscation of property belonging to foreign states.

2. the act of seizing something by or as if by authority.

   In order to avoid confiscation of their cell phones under the strict new rule, many teens only became more secretive about using them.

Other Word Forms

• nonconfiscation noun
• proconfiscation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of confiscation¹

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin cōnfiscātiōn-, stem of cōnfiscātiō “seizure,” from cōnfiscāt(us) “seized” (past participle of cōnfiscāre “to seize for the public treasury”; confiscate ( def. ) ) + -iō -ion ( def. )

Example Sentences

"There has been no real education about healthy use, just confiscation."

From BBC

That didn't help much, however, as the meeting devolved into an extended confrontation over South African land confiscation policies.

From BBC

The policy involved the confiscation of trillions of old naira notes and their replacement with new notes for the highest denominations.

From BBC

State and local officials announced charges against three suspects after a traffic stop in Downey led to the confiscation of fentanyl and opium worth an estimated $55 million.

From Los Angeles Times

"What president ever talks like that? That's not who we are. We're about freedom, democracy, opportunity, not about confiscation," he said.

From BBC

Related Words

• appropriation 
• expropriation