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

It favors planters with significant Malaysian upstream operations, as they benefit from strong sensitivity to crude palm oil prices, while facing limited risk of land confiscation.

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Serbia's president on Sunday said he wanted to avoid the "confiscation" of Russian shares in Serbian oil company NIS "at all costs", as his country seeks an exit from crippling US sanctions.

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A frenzy of asset confiscations in Europe, the United States and Asia have targeted Cambodia's Prince Holding Group -- with authorities alleging its founder Chen Zhi was running a transnational criminal organisation.

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"Today, Al-Walajah embodies almost every Israeli policy in the West Bank: settlements, the wall, home demolitions, land confiscations and closures," mayor Al-Araj told AFP.

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The law also prevents regulators from promulgating similar rules in the future, so the resolution could prevent another confiscation under the next Democratic Administration.

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Related Words

• appropriation 
• expropriation