repatriate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
repatriates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
repatriated,
past participle, past
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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.
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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
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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
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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:
Indonesian authorities are working to repatriate five baby orangutans allegedly trafficked to India, where they were found motherless in a forest, Jakarta's forestry ministry told AFP Friday.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
“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
Police said forensic enquiries would take place to confirm the identity and then efforts would be made to repatriate the body to Bristol.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
But entrepreneurs have to repatriate the money back to China and pay tax before seeking approval to invest overseas, according to lawyers tracking the changes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
My identity card said Resettler, indicating that Germany had allowed me to repatriate from Lithuania.
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
Coast Guard often repatriates people found at sea; it did so earlier this month when it sent back 119 Cuban migrants.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 27, 2022
Then suddenly came the announcement: “Japanese repatriates will begin disembarking beginning with R through V.”
From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata
Naypyidaw has repatriated nearly 10,000 migrants from Malaysia this year, its state media said on Monday.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
Diane Wolfe does not believe the vigango need to be repatriated, but she distinguished that from her willingness to see portions of the broader collection return to Africa.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
Historically, companies have repatriated around 60% of their foreign-affiliate earnings on average, they note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
According to Mexico's ministry of foreign relations, last year more than 2,000 objects were successfully repatriated.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
“Once the Russians are defeated,” he went on, “you will be repatriated through Switzerland.”
From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
More than 160,000 foreign nationals have departed South Africa over the past two months, according to an AFP tally based on figures from repatriating governments, in one of the country's largest recent migrant exoduses.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Last month, Sherritt said it was suspending operations and repatriating staff.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
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
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.
