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

Lori Iliff, the Denver Art Museum’s senior provenance researcher, told The Post that the museum wanted to return those objects all along, but that the tribe wished for them to be repatriated under NAGPRA. —Sam Tabachnik, The Denver Post, 10 June 2024

So, Homeland Security says that President Biden has already deported or repatriated more people in the past year than any year since 2010. —CBS News, 9 June 2024

Congress added Afghanistan to the list after the administration repatriated a former Afghan militiaman in 2022, with the help of Qatar. —Carol Rosenberg, New York Times, 21 May 2024

The United States would also need to further restrict Iran’s commercial relations by stripping the regime of its ability to use the international banking system and repatriate its money from abroad. —Ray Takeyh, Foreign Affairs, 18 Oct. 2021

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

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