extradite
Americanverb (used with object)
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extradites,
present (3rd person singular)
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extradited,
past participle, past
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extraditing
present participle
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to give up (an alleged fugitive or criminal) to another state or nation at its request.
-
to obtain the extradition of.
verb
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to surrender (an alleged offender) for trial to a foreign state
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to procure the extradition of
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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extraditesimple
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extraditessimple
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have extraditedperfect
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has extraditedperfect
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am extraditingprogressive
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are extraditingprogressive
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is extraditingprogressive
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have been extraditingperfect progressive
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has been extraditingperfect progressive
Past
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extraditedsimple
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had extraditedperfect
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was extraditingprogressive
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were extraditingprogressive
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had been extraditingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of extradite
First recorded in 1860–65; back formation from extradition
Explanation
When a government extradites someone, it delivers that person to another country or state, usually to be tried for a crime. Treaties between countries often require them to extradite suspected criminals. You might hear about a criminal attempting to hide in one country, only to have its government extradite him back to the place where he committed the crime. While individual countries sometimes resist the pressure to extradite suspects, treaties between countries often encourage them to do so. The verb extradite comes from its noun form, extradition, which was likely invented by Voltaire from a combination of the Latin ex, "out," and traditionem, "a delivering up or handing over."
Vocabulary lists containing extradite
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
That, he said, puts Sheinbaum in a "very complex" position, should President Donald Trump's administration step up pressure on her to extradite him.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
At the time of the indictment, Mexico’s Foreign Ministry said the U.S. request to arrest and extradite Rocha lacked sufficient evidence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The decision on whether to extradite the brothers to the UK will ultimately be up to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, after it is first considered by US courts.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
While Sharaa praised Russia's "historic role" in Syria and the region, Damascus has repeatedly demanded that it extradite Assad, who has been sheltering in Moscow with his wife since his ouster.
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
Trying to prevent Fischer’s escape to Iceland, various agencies in the United States accelerated their pursuit of Bobby, putting more pressure on Japan to extradite him.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Mexico long ago abolished capital punishment and typically extradites its citizens on the condition they are spared death.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2025
It would be a shame if the UK becomes a party to this travesty of justice and extradites Alexander back to Bucharest.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 9, 2018
He had been safe in Paris, because he had a French passport and France rarely extradites its own citizens.
From The New Yorker ● May 23, 2016
No announcement has yet been made, and a Justice Department official said Monday that no decision had been reached on where Guzman would be sent once Mexico actually extradites him.
From US News ● Jan. 12, 2016
Mexico regularly extradites leading traffickers but the government of President Enrique Pena Nieto resisted handing over Guzman after his Feb. 2014 arrest as a point of national pride.
From Reuters ● Jan. 11, 2016
Prosecutors charge Zhuravlyov worked closely with Sergiy Kuznetsov, another Ukrainian man who was arrested in Italy last year before being extradited to Germany.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
He left the state for California, where he was arrested and extradited back to Washington.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Months later, once the extradition treaty went into force, McGovern was extradited to Dublin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
Berko, a citizen of the U.S. and Ghana, was charged in 2020 with violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and in 2024 he was extradited from the U.K., where he had worked for Goldman.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
He missed his friends on the Continent and Asia, but he didn’t dare leave his ocean-bound haven for fear that he might be captured and extradited.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Instead, he asked the Texas secretary of state to consider whether Castro was a fugitive, and he refused to reach a decision on extraditing him until that question was answered.
From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026
Sheinbaum responded to the indictments by requesting the US provide "irrefutable" evidence against Rocha Moya before potentially extraditing him.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
Last June, Denmark's Supreme Court ruled against extraditing to Ukraine a Russian national suspected of espionage for Moscow.
From BBC ● Dec. 25, 2025
Bovey argued that extraditing Rossi would be a “flagrant breach” of his human rights.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 2, 2023
It was, however, only when the alleged crime was recent and followed up promptly that the rigid rule of extraditing slaves accused of crime was applied.
From The Journal of Negro History, Volume 5, 1920 by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
