repatriate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
repatriates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
repatriated,
past participle, past
-
repatriating
present participle
-
to bring or send back (a person, especially a prisoner of war, a refugee, etc.) to their country or land of citizenship.
-
to send (profits or other assets) back to one's own country.
-
to restore to a country that has attained sovereignty something that was formerly held or administered on that country’s behalf by a colonial power.
In 1982, the Trudeau government repatriated Canada's constitution from Britain.
verb (used without object)
-
repatriates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
repatriated,
past participle, past
-
repatriating
present participle
noun
verb
-
to send back (a refugee, prisoner of war, etc) to the country of his birth or citizenship
-
to send back (a sum of money previously invested abroad) to its country of origin
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
repatriatesimple
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repatriatessimple
-
have repatriatedperfect
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has repatriatedperfect
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am repatriatingprogressive
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are repatriatingprogressive
-
is repatriatingprogressive
-
have been repatriatingperfect progressive
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has been repatriatingperfect progressive
Past
-
repatriatedsimple
-
had repatriatedperfect
-
was repatriatingprogressive
-
were repatriatingprogressive
-
had been repatriatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of repatriate
First recorded in 1605–15; from Late Latin repatriātus (past participle of repatriāre “to return to one's fatherland”), equivalent to Latin re- “again, back” + patri(a) “native country” (noun use of feminine of patrius “paternal,” derivative of pater “father”) + -ātus past participle suffix; see re-, father, -ate 1
Explanation
When a country repatriates people, they are usually refugees who are being sent back to their homeland, often against their wishes. It is possible for a person to repatriate himself, choosing to return to a country he's left for political or economic reasons, but the verb repatriate is more often used to mean "send refugees home." It might sound like a modern political term, but repatriate has been used since the 1600s. It comes from the Latin word repatriare, "return to one's own country," from the prefix re, "back," and patria, "native land."
Vocabulary lists containing repatriate
Not Your Father's Word List: Pater, Patr
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"The Latehomecomer," Vocabulary from the memoir excerpt
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Salt to the Sea
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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:
“Fifty percent of our population is Venezuelan, and our ability to repatriate them has been extremely limited,” said Dawnisha Helland, ICE’s acting assistant director of enforcement and removal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
TUI had issued a profit warning in April, weeks after the Mideast war forced it to repatriate 10,000 travellers, including 5,000 people stuck on two cruise ships in the Gulf.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
Ghana was one of the first African countries to repatriate its citizens from South Africa following the latest wave of anti-migrant protests.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
But if Japan were to make substantive changes to how its pension funds invest and repatriate their overseas holdings, the effects would be much more significant and long-lasting.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
“My mother had German heritage, so Hitler allowed us to repatriate and come to Germany. I only got as far as Insterburg.”
From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys
From Agadez, the U.N. migration agency repatriates them to their countries of origin with the financial help of the European Union.
From New York Times ● Jan. 23, 2024
Plus, Robert Egan leaves the vaunted OPC, and the Getty repatriates works, in our weekly arts newsletter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 2, 2024
"India has very robust child protection laws and if the German court repatriates her, she can be looked after in India," she said.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2023
Like other major export manufacturers, it benefits from a cheaper yen when it repatriates profits earned overseas.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 2, 2023
Then suddenly came the announcement: “Japanese repatriates will begin disembarking beginning with R through V.”
From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata
South Africa announced in February at least two citizens had died fighting in Russia and 15 were repatriated the same month, although others remained there.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
The 34-year-old was repatriated to the UK and died on 26 July at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Llantrisant, Rhondda Cynon Taf.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
Additionally, the prospect of repatriated capital could bolster the yen, which has seen USD/JPY rise above 163, an exchange rate not seen since 1986.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
The South African government has said more than 53,000 foreign nationals have been deported or repatriated since it launched a "migration management" campaign five weeks ago.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
Once she was well and Dasch was repatriated, Rose Marie knew that she was to follow him.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
Sri Lankan officials said they have not begun discussions on repatriating the Bushehr crew and those rescued from Dena, but they will be treated in line with Colombo’s treaty obligations.
From Barron's ● Mar. 13, 2026
Sri Lanka is repatriating on Friday the remains of 84 Iranian sailors who perished when their frigate was sunk nine days ago by a US submarine, the Foreign Ministry said.
From Barron's ● Mar. 13, 2026
Currency controls that barred companies from repatriating earnings forced airlines to write off billions of dollars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025
Chilean officials said the search for victims had ended and the focus was now on repatriating the bodies and liaising with foreign consulates.
From BBC ● Nov. 19, 2025
He was either critical of the Nazi Party, critical of me for repatriating, or both.
From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys
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.
