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

Meanwhile, Noticias Caracol, a Colombian news program, reported that the man injured in the most recent strike was hospitalized after he was repatriated and remains in serious condition. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2025

Eighteen more hostages, believed deceased, still have not been repatriated. —James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025

All 20 living hostages have now been safely returned to Israel — although so far the remains of just four dead hostages have been repatriated. —Elmira Aliieva, NBC news, 14 Oct. 2025

According to Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum, from January through the end of September 2025, more than 109,000 Mexicans had been repatriated, although the percentage of those who did so voluntarily and involuntarily is unknown. —Paula Soria, AZCentral.com, 13 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