confiscate

1 of 2

adjective

1
: appropriated by the government : forfeited
2
: deprived of property by confiscation

confiscate

2 of 2

verb

con·​fis·​cate ˈkän-fə-ˌskāt How to pronounce confiscate (audio)
confiscated; confiscating

transitive verb

1
: to seize as forfeited to the public treasury
2
: to seize by or as if by authority
confiscation noun
confiscator noun
confiscatory adjective

Examples of confiscate in a Sentence

Verb Guards confiscated knives and other weapons from the prisoners. The teacher confiscated all cell phones for the duration of the field trip.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Paltrow spent much of the hour after her arrival rooted under the single branch of a pine tree, one of the few spots of shade in sight, and when the Jacquemus team confiscated parasols and water glasses—believed to look ugly on camera—guests began to feel like movie extras on a desert shoot. Nathan Heller, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2024 Like the idea of taxing unrealized capital gains, almost all progressive ideas for new revenue involve confiscating funds that are now in the capital market and using those funds to pay for current consumption. John C. Goodman, Forbes, 5 Oct. 2024 The detention memo for Sean Combs’ case reports that 1,000 bottles of both products were confiscated from his premises, which Agnifilo isn’t too sure about. Marc Griffin, VIBE.com, 30 Sep. 2024 His team had confiscated $11,329 and about 8,400 fake Percocet pills at her grandmother’s place while Maylia and Maliasyn were there. Lizzie Presser, ProPublica, 28 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for confiscate 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'confiscate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Latin confiscatus, past participle of confiscare to confiscate, from com- + fiscus treasury

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1533, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1552, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of confiscate was circa 1533

Dictionary Entries Near confiscate

Cite this Entry

“Confiscate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confiscate. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

confiscate

verb
con·​fis·​cate
ˈkän-fə-ˌskāt
confiscated; confiscating
: to seize by or as if by public authority
smuggled goods may be confiscated by the police
confiscation
ˌkän-fə-ˈskā-shən
noun
confiscator
ˈkän-fə-ˌskāt-ər
noun
confiscatory
kən-ˈfis-kə-ˌtōr-ē
-ˌtȯr-
adjective

Legal Definition

confiscate

transitive verb
con·​fis·​cate ˈkän-fə-ˌskāt How to pronounce confiscate (audio)
confiscated; confiscating
: to seize without compensation as forfeited to the public treasury compare criminal forfeiture

Note: Illegal items such as narcotics or firearms, or profits from the sale of illegal items, may be confiscated by law enforcement officers. Additionally, government action that reduces the value of property to a person or entity as to make it nearly worthless has been held to constitute confiscation. Examples of such government action include the passage of zoning laws that prevent the use of land for its designated purpose and the setting of utility rates so low that the utility company cannot realize a reasonable return on its investment.

confiscation noun
confiscator noun
confiscatory adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on confiscate

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