expropriate
verb
Did you know?
If you guessed that expropriate has something in common with the verb appropriate, you're right. Both words ultimately derive from the Latin adjective proprius, meaning "own." Expropriate came to English by way of the Medieval Latin verb expropriare, itself from Latin ex- ("out of" or "from") and proprius. Appropriate descends from Late Latin appropriare, which joins proprius and Latin ad- ("to" or "toward"). Both the verb appropriate ("to take possession of" or "to set aside for a particular use") and the adjective appropriate ("fitting" or "suitable") have been with us since the 15th century, and expropriate was officially appropriated in the 17th century. Other proprius descendants in English include proper and property.
Examples of expropriate in a Sentence
Christopher Sabatini, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2022
Market value was preponderant in determining the value of the piece of land that the state deemed worthy of expropriating.
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025
Nor has any land been expropriated without compensation.
—Lauren Kent, CNN, 11 Feb. 2025
After the 1959 revolution, the state expropriated the ground floor.
—Lydia Bell, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for expropriate
Cite this Entry
“Expropriate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/expropriate. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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expropriate
verb
Legal Definition
expropriate
transitive verb
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