confiscate

American  

[kon-fuh-skeyt, kuhn-fis-kit] / ˈkɒn fəˌskeɪt, kənˈfɪs kɪt /

verb (used with object)

confiscates, present (3rd person singular) confiscated, past participle, past confiscating present participle

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.

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adjective

1. seized or appropriated, as for public use.

confiscate British  

/ ˈkɒnfɪˌskeɪt /

verb

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

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adjective

1. seized or confiscated; forfeit

2. having lost or been deprived of property through confiscation

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• confiscation
  noun
• confiscator
  noun
• reconfiscate
  verb (used with object)
• confiscatable
  adjective
• unconfiscated
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• confiscating
  present
• confiscated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• confiscate
  simple
• confiscates
  simple
• have confiscated
  perfect
• has confiscated
  perfect
• am confiscating
  progressive
• are confiscating
  progressive
• is confiscating
  progressive
• have been confiscating
  perfect progressive
• has been confiscating
  perfect progressive

Past

• confiscated
  simple
• had confiscated
  perfect
• was confiscating
  progressive
• were confiscating
  progressive
• had been confiscating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will confiscate
  simple
• will have confiscated
  perfect
• will be confiscating
  progressive
• will have been confiscating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of confiscate

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin confiscātus “seized,” past participle of confiscāre “to seize for the public treasury,” equivalent to con- con- + fisc(us) “basket, moneybag, public treasury” ( see fiscal) + -āre, verb infinitive suffix

Explanation

To confiscate means to take away temporarily for security or legal reasons. It implies an act by an authority upon one of less power. If you use your cell phone in class, the teacher might confiscate it for the day. Confiscate derives from the Latin confiscat, meaning "to store in a chest, or give to the treasury." In school, if the boys begin throwing pencils at each other, the teacher will confiscate them and "store” them in her desk. She’ll return them, however, when the boys need to take the test. That’s assuming they have not blinded each other beforehand.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

confiscate confiscates confiscated confiscating

The law doesn't allow the Crown to confiscate property or assets directly - it's an order for payment.

From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026

The ability to freeze, seize and confiscate money and assets derived from illegal activities is rooted in the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026

The monitors also tried to confiscate four power banks and chargers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026

At this point, the most responsible thing Attorney General Pam Bondi could do is confiscate the department’s television remotes and log everyone out of their social media accounts.

From Salon ● Feb. 6, 2026

Though I was permitted to receive pictures and to keep the album, warders would often search my cell and confiscate pictures of Winnie.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

For every dollar of effort you put in, the system confiscates 70 to 100 cents,” he says.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 24, 2025

And he voted for a bill to strengthen a unique California program that confiscates guns from convicted felons who aren’t supposed to have them.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 4, 2022

The FBI comes back and confiscates the original devices, but not before Isaac made a copy of the hard drive.

From Fox News ● Oct. 15, 2020

The only excitement in this over comes when a steward confiscates a giant inflatable watermelon, only for Jofra Archer to nick it off him and return it to the crowd, who chant “Arise Sir Jofra”.

From The Guardian ● Aug. 23, 2019

She keeps a whole collection of the stuff she confiscates, and I don’t want my phone to be part of it.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina

The adults, hearing our incessant laughter, came into the room, instantly became horrified and confiscated the game.

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026

Here, Exxon Mobil was suing an entity affiliated with the Cuban government for using an oil refinery that the Cuban government had confiscated from Exxon in the 1990s.

From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026

The teenager's mother said she had confiscated his phone in response and told him: "I'm so disappointed with you."

From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026

Investigators confiscated a total of 851 packages from the three vehicles with a combined weight of more than a ton.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026

Mami’s jewelry, my charm bracelet, the silver in the velvet-lined box in the dining room, and Papi’s car have been confiscated, now “property of the state.”

From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez

Berlin city's government says confiscating the properties on these grounds would be the job of the Lichtenberg city district that takes in Karlshorst.

From Barron's ● Feb. 8, 2026

Natanson endured an early morning raid with federal agents performing a physical search of her home and confiscating her personal devices.

From Salon ● Jan. 17, 2026

Over the weekend, authorities began searching for and confiscating Starlink dishes in western Tehran, said Amir Rashidi, director of digital rights and security at Miaan Group, a U.S. nonprofit opposed to internet censorship.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 13, 2026

The school may use the dashboard to identify rule-breakers in the future, but for now, teachers and staff are simply confiscating phones on sight, he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2025

I remembered Papa talking about Stalin confiscating peasants’ land, tools, and animals.

From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys

Related Words

• appropriate
• expropriate
• impound