confiscate

adjective con·fis·cate \ ˈkän-fə-ˌskāt , kən-ˈfi-skət \

Updated on: 18 Apr 2018

Definition of confiscate

1 : appropriated by the government : forfeited

2 : deprived of property by confiscation

Origin and Etymology of confiscate

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1533

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

confiscate

verb con·fis·cate \ ˈkän-fə-ˌskāt \

Definition of confiscate

confiscated; confiscating

transitive verb

1 : to seize as forfeited to the public treasury

2 : to seize by or as if by authority

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confiscation

play \ˌkän-fə-ˈskā-shən\ noun

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confiscator

play \ˈkän-fə-ˌskā-tər\ noun

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confiscatory

play \kən-ˈfi-skə-ˌtȯr-ē\ adjective

See confiscate defined for English-language learners

See confiscate defined for kids

Examples of confiscate in a Sentence

Guards confiscated knives and other weapons from the prisoners.
The teacher confiscated all cell phones for the duration of the field trip.

Recent Examples of confiscate from the Web

But as Reed made it to the 18th hole, his wife reportedly asked police to confiscate the family’s badges and remove the family from the event, according to Golf.

— jason duaine hahn, PEOPLE.com, "Inside Masters Champion Patrick Reed's Estranged Relationship with His Family," 9 Apr. 2018
Praised for confiscating guns and making arrests, many of the Task Force’s cases got dropped because the team violated citizens’ constitutional rights.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "How Baltimore Police Abused Their Power," 9 Apr. 2018
In recent years, several Arabbers have had their horses confiscated by city authorities.

— christina tkacik, baltimoresun.com, "Block party and art sale to benefit arabbers' stables in Baltimore set for Saturday," 5 Apr. 2018
Jon Riley said likely over 100 cases of the CBD oil gummies were confiscated.

— carol robinson, AL.com, "Operation Gummy Bear: State raid turns up haul of drug-laced candy," 23 Mar. 2018
Authorities with information on energy use show up at homes and either confiscate the machines or extort the miners, and sometimes arrest and detain them as well.

— cady voge, WIRED, "Where Could Bitcoin Succeed as a Currency? In a Failed State," 22 Mar. 2018
Transportation Security Administration officers have the power to confiscate and search just about anything on a traveler, including their smartphones.

— chronicle editorial board, San Francisco Chronicle, "Last Word: Hands off our smartphones," 17 Mar. 2018
Inmates also confiscated narcotics and cut themselves while breaking windows, the email says.

— craig harris, azcentral, "Yuma officers tried to warn Corrections about riot, but officials ignored tip, attorney says," 5 Mar. 2018
In other states, a court order must be issued to confiscate weapons.

— amy haneline, Indianapolis Star, "Indiana gun laws: What you need to know," 20 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'confiscate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of confiscate

1552

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

confiscate Synonyms

CONFISCATE Defined for English Language Learners

confiscate

verb

Definition of confiscate for English Language Learners

: to take (something) away from someone especially as punishment or to enforce the law or rules

CONFISCATE Defined for Kids

confiscate

verb con·fis·cate \ ˈkän-fə-ˌskāt \

Definition of confiscate for Students

confiscated; confiscating

: to seize by or as if by public authority

Police confiscated the stolen car.

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confiscation

\ˌkän-fə-ˈskā-shən\ noun

Law Dictionary

confiscate

transitive verb con·fis·cate \ ˈkän-fə-ˌskāt \

legal Definition of confiscate

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.

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