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

In recent decades, the government of the Netherlands — which colonized Indonesia from the 1600s-1900s — has been in the process of repatriating sculptures, reliefs, and other items to the arts and culture administration in Java. — Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026

After the FlyDubai plane made its emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, its passengers were repatriated by alternate FlyDubai aircraft from Dubai, not Israeli planes arriving from Israel. — Gerry Shih, Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2026

An Israeli security source confirmed to ABC News that the Israel Defense Forces recommended that a military aircraft be sent to repatriate Israeli passengers from Saudi Arabia. — ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026

Since 2017, the Antiquities Trafficking Unit has convicted 18 individual traffickers and repatriated over 6,000 cultural treasures to 40 countries. — News Desk, Artforum, 25 Sep. 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