confiscate

American  

[kon-fuh-skayt, 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

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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

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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

It said forces had worked to remove the settlers from the house, separate the groups and confiscate vehicles "that were suspected of having been used to reach the area".

From Barron's ● Aug. 29, 2026

The lawsuit alleges that Sheriff Robert Luna failed to confiscate Giandomenico’s phone after learning of the photos and tried to conceal from Nancy Lemus that the images existed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026

England acquired such institutions with the Glorious Revolution of 1688-89 after which the king could no longer suspend laws, raise taxes without the consent of Parliament, or arbitrarily confiscate private property.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026

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

From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026

“D’you think he knew the Ministry would confiscate his will and examine everything he’d left us?” asked Harry.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

It confiscates cellphones by the thousand and drones by the dozen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 24, 2025

When capos are arrested, the government confiscates whatever land is in their name and holds it in a byzantine bureaucracy.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 29, 2021

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

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

Jara, an activist who only gave her Christian name, said police confiscated her placard.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

After their reporters had their passes confiscated and were denied access to the building, the three outlets jointly launched legal action, calling the move unconstitutional.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

Jonathan Greenberger, Politico’s global editor in chief, said in an email to staff Saturday that members of the Secret Service confiscated the pass of Cheyenne Haslett, a White House reporter for the outlet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

Klein similarly reported that her credential had been deactivated, while Politico said Haslett’s badge was confiscated.

From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026

When new chimps are confiscated they need a great deal of attention.

From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall

The authorities are confiscating families’ properties, or setting such high bail for arrested family members that people are forced to sell their possessions, she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

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

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

She’d taken the plans from Sela as if she were confiscating acorns from a baby mouse.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

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Related Words

• appropriate
• expropriate
• impound

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