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.
Synonyms
Examples of expropriate in a Sentence
Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 31 July 2024
Within six years, Berlin’s fashion companies, most of which were Jewish, were expropriated, the fashion designers were expelled, forced labor was established and the creative industry that had existed since 1836 was destroyed.
—Uwe Westphal, Sun Sentinel, 16 July 2024
Since the 1970s, the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh have variously been engaged in negotiations and lawsuits to reclaim reserve land illegally expropriated by the Canadian government.
—Sara Miller Llana, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 June 2024
On the edge of the waterfront, this meeting place where beaver and salmon abounded was slowly expropriated amid construction of railways and increasing industrialization until the Squamish were put on a barge in 1913 and sent to existing reserves.
—Sara Miller Llana, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for expropriate 
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.
Dictionary Entries Near expropriate
Cite this Entry
“Expropriate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/expropriate. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
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expropriate
verb
Legal Definition
expropriate
transitive verb
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