expropriate

verb

ex·pro·pri·ate ek-ˈsprō-prē-ˌāt

expropriated; expropriating

Synonyms of expropriate next

transitive verb

: to deprive of possession or proprietary rights

: to transfer (the property of another) to one's own possession

expropriator

ek-ˈsprō-prē-ˌā-tər

noun

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.

Example Sentences

dissidents were shot, and their lands expropriated under his regime the state will have to expropriate scores of homeowners in order to build the new road

Recent Examples on the Web The plan will be overseen by the global auditing giant PwC and would compensate investors for potential financial losses if businesses were expropriated or projects were disrupted. —

Liz Alderman, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2023 De La Soul’s experimental hip-hop, now available again, sounded equally liberating, a reminder of the ingenuity that political marauders try to expropriate from black culture. —

Armond White, National Review, 10 Mar. 2023 Then came a new political power in Colombia, and the new administration at that time did not favor the Catholic Church, using a law already in use in Mexico to expropriate the properties of the Catholic Church. —

Rachel King, Fortune, 24 Dec. 2022 In their drive to expropriate Jewish assets, the Nazis seized the Vienna publishing house, a Freud family holding, and came down hard on the Freuds to reveal any foreign assets. —

Patrick Blanchfield, The New Republic, 1 Sep. 2022 As a last resort, Germany could expropriate such firms, according to the revised law. —

Yvonne Lau, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2022 This Act enables the government to expropriate 95 percent of the revenues (not profits) from the sale of any drug where a manufacturer does not negotiate in good faith as determined by the government. —

Wayne Winegarden, Forbes, 2 Aug. 2022 Public concerns about similarities with Venezuela led Mr. Petro to publicly sign a document at a notary public pledging not to expropriate. —

Kejal Vyas, WSJ, 24 May 2022 Over the years, Prymachenko’s iconic style was much imitated, with many paying tribute and some seeking to expropriate it. —

Laura Kingstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'expropriate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.