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

The woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of security concerns, called on the Iraqi government to repatriate her. —Arkansas Online, 22 Jan. 2026

Most countries, citing security and logistics concerns, have either refused to repatriate their citizens from al-Hol or have taken years to do so. —Jane Arraf, NPR, 22 Jan. 2026

Danish pension funds were one of the first to repatriate money and reduce their dollar exposure this time last year. —Jim Edwards, Fortune, 21 Jan. 2026

The woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of security concerns, called on the Iraqi government to repatriate her. —Ghaith Alsayed, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 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

• 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