confiscate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to seize as forfeited to the public domain; appropriate, by way of penalty, for public use.
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to seize by or as if by authority; appropriate summarily.
The border guards confiscated our movie cameras.
adjective
verb
adjective
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seized or confiscated; forfeit
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having lost or been deprived of property through confiscation
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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confiscationnoun
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confiscatornoun
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reconfiscateverb (used with object)
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confiscatableadjective
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unconfiscatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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confiscatesimple
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confiscatessimple
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have confiscatedperfect
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has confiscatedperfect
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am confiscatingprogressive
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are confiscatingprogressive
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is confiscatingprogressive
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have been confiscatingperfect progressive
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has been confiscatingperfect progressive
Past
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confiscatedsimple
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had confiscatedperfect
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was confiscatingprogressive
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were confiscatingprogressive
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had been confiscatingperfect progressive
Future
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
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.
Vocabulary lists containing confiscate
Persepolis
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"Fighting Hitler: A Holocaust Story," Vocabulary from the article
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Echo
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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:
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
The ability to freeze, seize and confiscate money and assets derived from illegal activities is rooted in the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
The monitors also tried to confiscate four power banks and chargers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026
At this point, the most responsible thing Attorney General Pam Bondi could do is confiscate the department’s television remotes and log everyone out of their social media accounts.
From Salon ● Feb. 6, 2026
Milo was dumfounded when he stepped down to the ground and found a contingent of armed M.P.’s waiting to imprison the German pilots and confiscate their planes.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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
The only excitement in this over comes when a steward confiscates a giant inflatable watermelon, only for Jofra Archer to nick it off him and return it to the crowd, who chant “Arise Sir Jofra”.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 23, 2019
To clothe the migrants, he circumvents Mexican Customs, which inspects cars and confiscates used clothing coming into the country, in what Padre Leo believes is an attempt to protect Mexican clothing manufacturers.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
Long-term bonds became known, jocularly, as “certificates of confiscation”: Owning them entitled you to have some of your money confiscated by the government every year.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
The cops towed my mother’s car into an impound lot, and I was sure they’d found and confiscated the fireworks.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
A teacher described the decision as "truly heartbreaking" and said his smartphone was confiscated on Wednesday, before being returned with a warning not to carry it again.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
On returning to London four years later, customs officers confiscated Hockney's magazines.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
Any material that advocates democracy, exposes wrongdoing by the Japanese military, or contains anti-Japanese sentiment is confiscated.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Although he has tried to bolster state finances by raising Russia’s value-added tax and confiscating the wealth of certain oligarchs, he has shielded wartime spending from broader budget cuts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
Across the country, government agents have been losing government documents, personal effects, medical devices, and other belongings after confiscating them, effectively turning released immigrants into legal non-persons.
From Salon ● Mar. 4, 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
It follows officers confiscating his passport over the weekend after he attempted to attend the funeral of Kenyan politician Raila Odinga in the neighbouring country.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2025
It would take her until the next morning to think of a suitable punishment for Izzy: confiscating her beloved Doc Martens and throwing them in the trash.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
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.
