repatriation

noun

re·​pa·​tri·​a·​tion (ˌ)rē-ˌpā-trē-ˈā-shən 

-ˌpa-

plural repatriations

: the act or process of restoring or returning someone or something to the country of origin, allegiance, or citizenship : the act of repatriating or the state of being repatriated

… rising demands for the repatriation of skeletons and sacred objects, now widely scattered in the world's museums, and for museum exhibits less devoted to static, stereotypical displays of … the native American culture.

—Robert McCormick Adams

While officials privately acknowledge there is scant legal basis for repatriation, their public statements suggest that they would use lawsuits, diplomatic pressure and shame to bring home looted objects—not unlike Italy, Greece and Egypt, which have sought, with some success, to recover antiquities in European and American museums.

—Andrew Jacobs

They say they have that right under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, which requires that human remains and artifacts be returned to Indian tribes that can show a cultural link.

—Timothy Egan

Examples of repatriation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In 2021, the unnamed collector who bought them voluntarily relinquished for repatriation nearly three dozen Cambodian and Southeast Asian antiquities purchased from Latchford between 2003 and 2007. — Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 16 July 2026

Vigilante-style document checks, arrests of at least 350 people and investigations into multiple migrant deaths have left foreign communities on edge, pushing some legal residents to seek repatriation. — Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026

South Africa has removed more than 53,000 migrants over the last five weeks through deportations and repatriations following pressure from anti-migrant groups. — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 13 July 2026

Following the revision of ICOM’s definition of a museum, which faced controversy for not including terms such as decolonization, restitution, and repatriation, the new code condenses the eight principles of the 2004 code into five. — News Desk, Artforum, 13 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1592, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for repatriation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation