confiscate
adjective
kən-ˈfi-skət
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Definition of confiscate
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : appropriated by the government : forfeited
2 : deprived of property by confiscation
confiscate
verb
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Definition of confiscate (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : to seize as forfeited to the public treasury
2 : to seize by or as if by authority
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Other Words from confiscate
Verb
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noun
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noun
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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
The day before, authorities had tried unsuccessfully to detain the head police official in Ocampo, Óscar González García, confiscating his weapon and cellphone, according to Milenio. — Samantha Schmidt, The Seattle Times, "An entire town’s police force is detained in Mexico after the killing of another candidate," 26 June 2018 DeLand police arrived, detaining Floyd and confiscating his gun. — Michael Williams, OrlandoSentinel.com, "'He has a gun': Man arrested after woman slips note pleading to be rescued, cops say," 26 May 2018 Security forces stormed Abbas' house in the Egyptian capital's district of New Cairo, confiscating his laptop, phone and books as well as a toy gun, according to his sister. — Sarah El Sirgany, CNN, "Famous Egyptian blogger arrested in widening crackdown on dissent," 23 May 2018 Supervisors confiscated the brownies and called police. — Scott Berson, charlotteobserver, "Michigan woman fired for baking laxatives into brownies at co-worker's party, cops say | Charlotte Observer," 15 May 2018 But the Inspector General’s review discovered that only once had that happened in 37 incidents over a recent 3 1/2-year period in which Chicago police confiscated a gun from a person before transporting him to a mental health facility. — Jeremy Gorner, chicagotribune.com, "Chicago police overlooking tool to remove guns from those posing threat, city IG report finds," 25 Apr. 2018 José Luis Muñoz Toca, a top official of the General Customs Agency, told reporters at a news conference in Havana on Wednesday that his agency confiscated more than three tons of merchandise sent by companies abroad. — Mario J. Pentón, miamiherald, "If you send packages to relatives or friends in Cuba, goods could get confiscated," 7 June 2018 This, predictably, infuriated the Mosse lawyers: In the 1950s, and again in the 1990s, after German reunification, German authorities established unequivocally that the Nazis had illegally confiscated the Palais and other Mosse properties. — Berthold Steinhilber, Smithsonian, "The Lost Maidens of Berlin," 24 May 2018 In January, Stirling told the Post and Courier that the state of South Carolina had confiscated around 6,300 contraband cellphones and cellphone parts in 2017. — Victoria Mckenzie, CBS News, "Are cellphones really to blame for spike in S.C. prison violence?," 19 Apr. 2018These 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.
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More Definitions for confiscate
confiscate
verb
English Language Learners Definition of confiscate
: to take (something) away from someone especially as punishment or to enforce the law or rules
See the full definition for confiscate in the English Language Learners Dictionary
confiscate
verb
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Kids Definition of confiscate
: to seize by or as if by public authority Police confiscated the stolen car.
confiscate
transitive verb
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Legal Definition of confiscate
: 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.
Other Words from confiscate
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noun
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adjective
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