extradition

American  

[ek-struh-dish-uhn] / ˌɛk strəˈdɪʃ ən /

noun

• extraditions
  plural

1. the procedure by which a state or nation, upon receipt of a formal request by another state or nation, turns over to that second jurisdiction an individual charged with or convicted of a crime in that jurisdiction.

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extradition British  

/ ˌɛkstrəˈdɪʃən /

noun

1. the surrender of an alleged offender or fugitive to the state in whose territory the alleged offence was committed

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extradition Cultural  

1. The legal process by which one government may obtain custody of individuals from another government in order to put them on trial or imprison them.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonextradition
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• extraditions
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of extradition

From French, dating back to 1830–40; see origin at ex- ¹, tradition

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Explanation

A legal word, extradition means sending someone back to the country or state where they've been accused of a crime. Getting countries to agree on the terms of extradition can take years. It can be hard enough for lawyers in the U.S. to agree on a person's extradition from one state to another, so you can imagine how difficult it can be for officials from different countries. Extradition can have real consequences for the person being extradited. Suppose the laws there allow for the death penalty: a person accused of a capital crime would be smart to fight extradition to that place. The Latin prefix ex- means "from, out of," and trāditiōn- means "handing over," so extradition is the handing-over of someone from one jurisdiction to another.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

extradition extraditions

Last month, Croatia approved his extradition, although it is not clear when that will happen, and if his case could become part of the Hamburg trial.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

After several weeks of court battles fighting extradition, Serhii K - identified in court documents as Serhii Kuznetsov - was transferred to Germany late last year.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

He denies the charges, as does a second suspect who is fighting extradition from Croatia.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

Thai authorities began extradition proceedings on Thursday against a Chinese investigative reporter wanted by Beijing and detained for months in Thailand, his lawyer and an official told AFP.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

Most important, he had no intention of leaving Iceland, because of the threat of extradition to the United States.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

And investigators were able to obtain warrants and extraditions "in record time" because of the awareness - the podcast hit Number 24 on the iTunes chart.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

These are not extraditions, because these folks are not being sought by El Salvador on any charges there, and certainly have not gone through any extradition process.

From Slate ● Apr. 8, 2025

But Swedish courts have blocked other extraditions, and Swedish officials have said that they cannot override their country’s free-speech protections.

From New York Times ● Jul. 10, 2023

Months later, the British government enacted policies that “made similar extraditions extremely difficult,” according to the Nelson Hackett Project, a digital work of public scholarship helmed by the University of Arkansas Humanities Center.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 17, 2023

A Paris court also had ruled against their extraditions, and the decision was appealed last year.

From Washington Times ● Mar. 28, 2023

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Related Words

• deportation
• expulsion

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