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 past Ebola outbreaks, no such stringent travel restrictions were implemented, and the US repatriated eight cases for high-level care. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 14 July 2026

South African officials said some were repatriated voluntarily, but many were officially deported for being in the country without documents. — ABC News, 13 July 2026

The remains of the three crew members killed in the attack were repatriated to Thailand earlier this month. — Jintamas Saksornchai, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026

By then, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) was already in place mandating the return of remains, but museums contested the regulation on whether hair samples also needed to be repatriated. — News Desk, Artforum, 8 July 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