repatriation

noun

re·​pa·​tri·​a·​tion (ˌ)rē-ˌpā-trē-ˈā-shən 

-ˌpa-

plural repatriations

: the act or process of restoring or returning someone or something to the country of origin, allegiance, or citizenship : the act of repatriating or the state of being repatriated

While officials privately acknowledge there is scant legal basis for repatriation, their public statements suggest that they would use lawsuits, diplomatic pressure and shame to bring home looted objects—not unlike Italy, Greece and Egypt, which have sought, with some success, to recover antiquities in European and American museums.

—Andrew Jacobs

They say they have that right under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, which requires that human remains and artifacts be returned to Indian tribes that can show a cultural link.

—Timothy Egan

This left him an illegal immigrant in Hong Kong, subject to arrest and repatriation at any time.

—Nicholas D. Kristof

Examples of repatriation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The repatriation of more than 300 northern tidewater gobies — led by the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains — marked a peaceful moment in a region still reeling from the aftermath of wildfires and now in turmoil due to federal immigration raids. —Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2025

The repatriation of the bodies marks one of the largest returns of remains since Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago. —Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 14 June 2025

Growth, repatriation, racial integration Originally 200 acres, Arlington has changed and grown as our nation has. —Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 27 May 2025

Anthem did not provide the total number of HMO members potentially affected by the Scripps repatriation effort. —Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1592, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for repatriation

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration