confiscate

1 of 2

adjective

1
: appropriated by the government : forfeited
2
: deprived of property by confiscation

confiscate

2 of 2

verb

con·​fis·​cate ˈkän-fə-ˌskāt How to pronounce confiscate (audio)
confiscated; confiscating

transitive verb

1
: to seize as forfeited to the public treasury
2
: to seize by or as if by authority
confiscation noun
confiscator noun
confiscatory 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
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Verb
To contain this massive threat to the ruling class, the police raided Marie Laveau’s Voodoo meetings in 1850 and confiscated her mermaid figurine. Time, 8 Sep. 2025 If a dog that has not been officially declared dangerous severely injures or kills a person when unprovoked, authorities may confiscate the dog, and the dog’s owner is liable for the incident. Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2025 Houston Astros center fielder Taylor Trammell had his bat confiscated in the ninth inning of the team’s 8-4 loss to the New York Yankees on Thursday at Daikin Park. Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2025 According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, 12-inch centipedes were also confiscated and the green mamba, which had been sick, died after the raid. Tj MacIas, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for confiscate

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

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

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1533, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1552, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of confiscate was circa 1533

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Confiscate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confiscate. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

confiscate

verb
con·​fis·​cate
ˈkän-fə-ˌskāt
confiscated; confiscating
: to seize by or as if by public authority
smuggled goods may be confiscated by the police
confiscation
ˌkän-fə-ˈskā-shən
noun
confiscator
ˈkän-fə-ˌskāt-ər
noun
confiscatory
kən-ˈfis-kə-ˌtōr-ē
-ˌtȯr-
adjective

Legal Definition

confiscate

transitive verb
con·​fis·​cate ˈkän-fə-ˌskāt How to pronounce confiscate (audio)
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.

confiscation noun
confiscator noun
confiscatory adjective

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