repatriate

verb

re·​pa·​tri·​ate (ˌ)rē-ˈpā-trē-ˌāt 

-ˈpa-

repatriated; repatriating

transitive verb

: to restore or return to the country of origin, allegiance, or citizenship

repatriate prisoners of war

repatriate

(ˌ)rē-ˈpā-trē-ət 

-trē-ˌāt

-ˈpa-

noun

Examples of repatriate in a Sentence

Countries are required to repatriate prisoners of war when conflict has ended.

Recent Examples on the Web

The other four – from Cuba, Laos, Vietnam and Yemen – are still being held in detention there while efforts to repatriate them are ongoing, Eswatini’s government said. —CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025

The organ was eventually repatriated after the man’s funeral and burial. —Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 21 Sep. 2025

The Mexican Consulate in Chicago told NBC News in a statement that the Villegas González’s family had requested their assistance and support to repatriate his remains to Michoacán. —Nicole Acevedo, NBC news, 18 Sep. 2025

His team repatriates hundreds of people weekly to their home countries, countries like Vietnam and Laos that once refused to take deportees but now cooperate thanks to new diplomatic pressure. —Amy Reichert, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin repatriatus, past participle of repatriare to go home again — more at repair entry 3

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for repatriate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate

Kids Definition

repatriate

1 of 2 verb

re·​pa·​tri·​ate

(ˈ)rē-ˈpā-trē-ˌāt,

-ˈpa-

repatriated; repatriating

: to return to the country of origin, allegiance, or citizenship

repatriate prisoners of war

repatriation

(ˌ)rē-ˌpā-trē-ˈā-shən

-ˌpa-

noun

repatriate

2 of 2 noun

re·​pa·​tri·​ate

(ˈ)rē-ˈpā-trē-ət,

-tre-ˌāt

: one that is repatriated