expropriation

noun ex·pro·pri·a·tion \ (ˌ)ek-ˌsprō-prē-ˈā-shən \

Definition of expropriation

: the act of expropriating or the state of being expropriated; specifically : the action of the state in taking or modifying the property rights of an individual in the exercise of its sovereignty

Examples of expropriation in a Sentence

the development of the colony involved expropriation of large tracts of fertile farmland from the natives

Recent Examples of expropriation from the Web

Devaluation, expropriation, deficit spending and a war on private enterprise and the free press brought low the once-proud nation.

— mary anastasia o’grady, WSJ, "Argentines Keep Moving to the Right," 22 Oct. 2017
Later there were expropriations of American Indian lands and riots against immigrant workers; the Ku Klux Klan flourished.

— edward rothstein, WSJ, "A Museum Celebrates Its Home City," 14 Aug. 2017
However, Cárdenas based his oil expropriation on cool calculation as well as nationalist zeal.

— The Economist, "BelloMexico’s presidential front-runner misunderstands his role model," 4 Nov. 2017
While the full effect of an expropriation is visible immediately, the costs of transfer restrictions accrue over time.

— noel johnston, Washington Post, "Governments aren’t seizing businesses these days. They’re just siphoning off funds through transfer restrictions.," 18 Oct. 2017
International trade and investment treaties have been quite successful in reducing the risk of expropriation that overseas investors used to face.

— noel johnston, Washington Post, "Governments aren’t seizing businesses these days. They’re just siphoning off funds through transfer restrictions.," 18 Oct. 2017
Sisulu said that the party is still undecided about the expropriation of land without compensation.

— amogelang mbatha, Bloomberg.com, "Graft, Faction Fights Undermine South Africa, Minister Says," 5 Oct. 2017
Chavez emerged from the strike and exerted control over the private sector with years of expropriations, strict regulations and imports bought with oil money and meant to replace local production.

— Washington Post, "Venezuela strike erupts into sporadic violence," 20 July 2017
Chavez emerged from the strike and exerted control over the private sector with years of expropriations, strict regulations and imports bought with oil money and meant to replace local production.

— jorge rueda, The Seattle Times, "Venezuela’s Maduro, foes head into crucial showdown," 19 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'expropriation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.