repatriation

American  

[ree-pay-tree-ay-shuhn] / riˌpeɪ triˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of returning a person or thing to the country of origin.

   If conditions allow, refugees can be offered the option of voluntary repatriation rather than resettlement in countries offering asylum.

   Museums are increasingly facing pressure from formerly colonized countries seeking repatriation of their priceless antiquities.

---

Other Word Forms

• nonrepatriation
  noun

---

Etymology

Origin of repatriation

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Late Latin repatriation-, stem of repatriatio “a returning to one's fatherland,” equivalent to repatriāt-, stem of repatriāre + Latin -iō -ion ( def. ); repatriate ( def. )

---

Explanation

Repatriation is the act of returning to your own country. If you’ve been living in another country since you were two, and you are now thirty-five, repatriation may be more complicated. In Latin, the prefix re- signifies a return of some kind, and patria is another way of saying a person's native land. Repatriation generally refers to a person who has either forcibly or voluntarily left his own country and is now returning. It can also refer to the return of important objects, like historical artifacts, to their country of origin. If you're a patriotic person, then repatriation is important to you, especially for significant people or objects!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

repatriation

But Malaysia's foreign ministry says he will host Min Aung Hlaing for talks on the "safe repatriation of Myanmar nationals of all ethnic groups who have been in Malaysia illegally".

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

The passengers, who were almost all Israeli, arrived later on Wednesday in Tel Aviv on a repatriation flight.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Malaysia has described the repatriation as voluntary, but has barred the UN refugee agency from seeing or screening the returnees, who have been kept in detention centres.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

“At this point, I’m not expecting a huge repatriation of money coming from U.S. Treasurys to Japan,” said Norihiro Yamaguchi, lead Japan economist at Oxford Economics in Tokyo.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

In the evenings she reads while Etienne makes phone calls, petitions repatriation authorities, and writes letters.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• reconstruction
• recovery
• refurbishment
• rehabilitation
• reinstatement
• renewal
• renovation
• revival

---