kən-ˈfi-skət
Examples of confiscate in a Sentence
Eileen Ng, Fortune, 25 Nov. 2025
If companies intervene, the process could involve additional hearings to determine whether the government has the right to permanently confiscate the items.
—David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 24 Nov. 2025
Colombia made its largest cocaine bust in a decade, authorities announced Friday, with 14 tons confiscated at its main Pacific port amid tensions with Washington, which has branded Bogota's anti-drug policies insufficient.
—CBS News, 22 Nov. 2025
And recently, Palestinians in the West Bank have seen an increase in their land confiscated and violence against them by Israeli settlers.
—NPR, 22 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for confiscate
Cite this Entry
“Confiscate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confiscate. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
confiscate
transitive verb
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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