extradition

noun

ex·​tra·​di·​tion ˌek-strə-ˈdi-shən 

: the surrender of an alleged criminal usually under the provisions of a treaty or statute by one authority (such as a state) to another having jurisdiction to try the charge

Examples of extradition in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Assange got his freedom after five years of incarceration in Britain, saw the threat of 175 years behind bars and extradition to the USA lifted, and traveled back home Down Under. —Zac Ntim, Deadline, 8 May 2025

O’Reilly remains in the Bay Area for now, pending extradition to New York. —Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 1 May 2025

And, when the U.S. government began requesting the extradition of the leaders, the Salvadoran courts, subservient to Bukele, repeatedly found excuses to avoid handing them over. —Danielle MacKey, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025

White House adviser Stephen Miller, an influential immigration hawk, also mentioned extraditions Monday, with a different argument. —Caitlin Babcock, Christian Science Monitor, 15 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, from ex- + Latin tradition-, traditio act of handing over — more at treason

First Known Use

1810, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for extradition

• abolition
• acquisition
• admonition
• ammunition
• apparition
• apposition
• coalition
• competition
• composition
• definition
• deglutition
• demolition

Kids Definition

extradition

noun

ex·​tra·​di·​tion ˌek-strə-ˈdish-ən 

: the delivery of an accused criminal from one place (as a U.S. state) to another where the trial will be held

Legal Definition

extradition

noun

ex·​tra·​di·​tion ˌek-strə-ˈdi-shən 

: the surrender of an accused usually under the provisions of a treaty or statute by one sovereign (as a state or nation) to another that has jurisdiction to try the accused and that has demanded his or her return see also asylum state compare detainer, rendition

Note: Article IV of the U.S. Constitution states: “A person charged in any State with treason, felony, or other crime, who shall flee from justice, and be found in another State, shall on demand of the executive authority of the State from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State having jurisdiction of the crime.”

Etymology

French, from Latin ex- out + traditio act of handing over, from tradere to hand over