confiscate
adjective
kən-ˈfi-skət
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Definition of confiscate
(Entry 1 of 2)
confiscate
verb
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Definition of confiscate (Entry 2 of 2)
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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 18-year-old was stopped by officials in Thailand who confiscated her passport. — Trevor Marshallsea, The Seattle Times, "Thai, Saudi officials meet over case of young Saudi woman," 8 Jan. 2019 In 2016, according to Motherboard, police in the Netherlands arrested a man accused of selling custom PGP smartphones after confiscating servers that sent encrypted messages. — Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, "Police decrypt 258,000 messages after breaking pricey IronChat crypto app," 7 Nov. 2018 Levin was charged with three counts of gaining unauthorized access to a network, his home was raided by the police, and all of his devices were confiscated. — Makena Kelly, The Verge, "Real security flaws became a sketchy hacking investigation in Georgia," 5 Nov. 2018 The insurgents’ other goals in Ghazni, Mr. Mujahid said, were to confiscate weapons, free Taliban prisoners from the city’s jail and hold a strategic highway connecting the capital Kabul and Kandahar, the country’s second-largest city. — Ehsanullah Amiri, WSJ, "Afghan Troops, Taliban Both Claim Advantage in Major Fighting," 11 Aug. 2018 State lawmakers are poised to send a bill to Governor Charlie Baker that would give judges the power to confiscate weapons from individuals deemed a risk to themselves or others. — Matt Stout, BostonGlobe.com, "Legislature could soon move ‘red flag’ gun bill to Baker’s desk," 28 June 2018 Onofri said the shooting appears to be related to a dispute among people at the event, and police confiscated several weapons. — Kristine Phillips, Washington Post, "Suspect killed, at least 20 injured in shooting at New Jersey arts festival," 17 June 2018 The ordinance empowers the town’s police chief to confiscate the assault weapons of anyone charged under the ordinance. — Karen Berkowitz, chicagotribune.com, "Gun groups want a restraining order against Deerfield's assault weapons ban before it takes effect in 2 weeks," 1 June 2018 Of course not—because nothing short of confiscating all guns would do that. — Michael Graham, CBS News, "Commentary: The problem with "common-sense" gun laws," 21 May 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
confiscate
transitive verb
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Legal Definition of confiscate
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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