repatriate

verb

re·​pa·​tri·​ate (ˌ)rē-ˈpā-trē-ˌāt 

-ˈpa-

repatriated; repatriating

transitive verb

: to restore or return to the country of origin, allegiance, or citizenship

repatriate prisoners of war

repatriate

(ˌ)rē-ˈpā-trē-ət 

-trē-ˌāt, 

-ˈpa-

noun

Examples of repatriate in a Sentence

Countries are required to repatriate prisoners of war when conflict has ended.

Recent Examples on the Web

Prosecutors told the court in Rome that the child had no legal birth certificate, and that Ford, as her sole living parent, is the only person who could arrange for her body to be repatriated. — Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2026

The Museum Wiesbaden will repatriate ten human skulls held in its collection to Indonesia, marking the first instance of a German institution returning items taken during the country’s Dutch colonial era. — News Desk, Artforum, 5 Nov. 2026

Last year, the Cleveland Museum of Art agreed to surrender a statue of Marcus Aurelius to be repatriated to Turkey. — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 4 Nov. 2026

Yet China continues to forcibly repatriate North Koreans who cross its border. — Jieun Baek, Foreign Affairs, 30 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin repatriatus, past participle of repatriare to go home again — more at repair entry 3

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for repatriate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate
• angulate

Kids Definition

repatriate

1 of 2 verb

re·​pa·​tri·​ate

(ˈ)rē-ˈpā-trē-ˌāt, 

-ˈpa-

repatriated; repatriating

: to return to the country of origin, allegiance, or citizenship

repatriate prisoners of war

repatriation

(ˌ)rē-ˌpā-trē-ˈā-shən, 

-ˌpa-

noun

repatriate

2 of 2 noun

re·​pa·​tri·​ate

(ˈ)rē-ˈpā-trē-ət, 

-tre-ˌāt

: one that is repatriated