expropriate

[ eks-proh-pree-eyt ]
/ ɛksˈproʊ priˌeɪt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR expropriate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), ex·pro·pri·at·ed, ex·pro·pri·at·ing.

to take possession of, especially for public use by the right of eminent domain, thus divesting the title of the private owner: The government expropriated the land for a recreation area.
to dispossess (a person) of ownership: The revolutionary government expropriated the landowners from their estates.
to take (something) from another's possession for one's own use: He expropriated my ideas for his own article.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of expropriate

1605–15; < Medieval Latin expropriātus separated from one's own (past participle of expropriāre), equivalent to ex- ex-1 + propri(āre) to appropriate (derivative of proprius proper) + -ātus -ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM expropriate

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH expropriate

appropriate apropos expropriate

Words nearby expropriate

expressivity, expressly, expressman, expresso, expressway, expropriate, expropriation, expt., exptl, exptl., expugnable
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to expropriation

appropriation, confiscation, arrogation

Example sentences from the Web for expropriation

British Dictionary definitions for expropriation

expropriate
/ (ɛksˈprəʊprɪˌeɪt) /

verb (tr)

to deprive (an owner) of (property), esp by taking it for public useSee also eminent domain

Derived forms of expropriate

expropriable, adjectiveexpropriation, nounexpropriator, noun

Word Origin for expropriate

C17: from Medieval Latin expropriāre to deprive of possessions, from proprius own
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

Cultural definitions for expropriation

expropriation

The taking over of private property by a government, often without fair compensation but usually with a legal assertion that the government has a right to do so.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.