Synonyms of confiscate

confiscate

verb

ˈkän-fə-ˌskāt 

as in to seize

to take ownership or control of (something) by right of one's authority

anything that might be used as a weapon will be confiscated by the security guards

Synonyms & Similar Words

• seize
• attach
• expropriate
• sequester
• usurp
• preempt
• appropriate
• arrogate
• garnishee
• take over
• commandeer

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• render
• yield
• deliver
• relinquish
• forfeit
• surrender
• release
• give up
• turn over
• cede
• hand over

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of confiscate

Tucked inside a green oasis in the middle of the capital, Santo Domingo, are crocodiles, flamingos, and even tigers that officials have confiscated from people accused of illegally keeping them. — ABC News, 29 July 2026

After helping rescue a small group of ploughshares confiscated from smugglers, Goode and the Turtle Conservancy became the first to successfully breed the species outside of Madagascar. — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 29 July 2026

Once a convent in the early 1400s, the building was confiscated by the city in 1578 as part of the Protestant Reformation. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 July 2026

The 17 lobsters were confiscated and later returned alive to the ocean. — Denis Akbari, USA Today, 29 July 2026