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confiscate

[ verb kon-fuh-skeyt; adjective kuhn-fis-kit ]
/ verb ˈkɒn fəˌskeɪt; adjective kənˈfɪs kɪt /
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See synonyms for: confiscate / confiscated / confiscation on Thesaurus.com
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.
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Origin of confiscate

1525–35; <Latin confiscātus (past participle of confiscāre to seize for the public treasury), equivalent to con-con- + fisc(us) basket, moneybag, public treasury (see fiscal) + -ātus-ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM confiscate

Words nearby confiscate

confirmation hearings, confirmatory, confirmed, confirmee, confiscable, confiscate, confiscatory, confit, Confiteor, confiture, conflagrant
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to confiscate

appropriate, expropriate, impound, annex, arrogate, assume, commandeer, grab, hijack, liberate, preempt, sequester, sequestrate, swipe, take, usurp, accroach, take over

How to use confiscate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for confiscate

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

Derived forms of confiscate

confiscation, nounconfiscator, noun

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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