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

How much of the collection has been repatriated More than a decade after the seizure, Carpenter said, the Miller case is closed. —Domenica Bongiovanni, IndyStar, 5 Nov. 2025

Referred to as material witnesses, they are provided attorneys to represent their interests, such as seeking bond or undergoing recorded depositions so their testimony is preserved for trial, but they can be repatriated to their home countries sooner. —Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Nov. 2025

As regular troops in French service, the British treated them as prisoners of war instead of Jacobite rebels, and eventually repatriated them to France. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 30 Oct. 2025

Two survivors from an earlier attack in the Caribbean Sea were repatriated to their home countries of Colombia and Ecuador. —Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2025

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

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate

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