confiscate
[ verb kon-fuh-skeyt; adjective kuh n-fis-kit ]
/ verb ˈkɒn fəˌskeɪt; adjective kənˈfɪs kɪt /
verb (used with object), con·fis·cat·ed, con·fis·cat·ing.
to seize as forfeited to the public domain; appropriate, by way of penalty, for public use.
to seize by or as if by authority; appropriate summarily: The border guards confiscated our movie cameras.
adjective
seized or appropriated, as for public use.
RELATED WORDS
appropriate, expropriate, impound, commandeer, hijack, annex, assume, arrogate, swipe, preempt, sequester, take, usurp, grab, liberate, sequestrate, accroach
Nearby words
- confirmatory,
- confirmed,
- confirmee,
- confirmor,
- confiscable,
- confiscation,
- confiscatory,
- confit,
- confiteor,
- confiture
Origin of confiscate
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
confiscate
/ (ˈkɒnfɪˌskeɪt) /
verb (tr)
to seize (property), esp for public use and esp by way of a penalty
adjective
seized or confiscated; forfeit
having lost or been deprived of property through confiscation
Word Origin for confiscate
C16: from Latin confiscāre to seize for the public treasury, from fiscus basket, treasury
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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confiscate
1550s, originally, "to appropriate for the treasury," from Latin confiscatus, past participle of confiscare, from com- "together" (see com-) + fiscus "public treasury," literally "money basket" (see fiscal). Related: Confiscated; confiscating.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper