as in attaching
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
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Recent Examples of confiscating
As Israeli authorities begin confiscating their land, personal tensions collide with political pressure.
—
Annika Pham, Variety, 8 June 2026
In New York state social studies classes, communism and socialism are presented as two economic systems that make things more equal and fair, with no historical references to the atrocities committed by socialist and communist regimes confiscating property.
—Betsy McCaughey, Boston Herald, 8 June 2026
Romanian authorities indicted the Tate brothers on the charges in June 2023, placing them on house arrest and confiscating several of their assets — including 15 luxury cars, 14 luxury watches and approximately $300 million in cryptocurrency.
—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 31 May 2026
The bill, Senate Bill 73, restricts law enforcement agencies and officers — including those from federal agencies — from interfering with state and local election officials, such as confiscating ballots, voter rolls or voting machines without a warrant.
—Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2026
The influx of travelers translates to a higher probability of TSA confiscating or surrendering restricted items, from pocket knives to perfume.
—Jillian Dara, Travel + Leisure, 24 May 2026
The schools claimed this led to staff spending time on confiscating cell phones and other devices, as well as hiring additional staff to support student mental health and counseling.
—Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 23 May 2026
Sunday morning's incident follows the NYPD confiscating vehicles and making arrests last month related to a meet-up in Maspeth, Queens, where fire was involved.
—Lisa Rozner, CBS News, 10 May 2026
His first exhibition in 1963 reportedly caused a stir, with a vice squad identifying pornography in at least two of his paintings, and confiscating them.
—ABC News, 1 May 2026
Annika Pham, Variety, 8 June 2026
In New York state social studies classes, communism and socialism are presented as two economic systems that make things more equal and fair, with no historical references to the atrocities committed by socialist and communist regimes confiscating property.
—Betsy McCaughey, Boston Herald, 8 June 2026
Romanian authorities indicted the Tate brothers on the charges in June 2023, placing them on house arrest and confiscating several of their assets — including 15 luxury cars, 14 luxury watches and approximately $300 million in cryptocurrency.
—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 31 May 2026
The bill, Senate Bill 73, restricts law enforcement agencies and officers — including those from federal agencies — from interfering with state and local election officials, such as confiscating ballots, voter rolls or voting machines without a warrant.
—Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2026
The influx of travelers translates to a higher probability of TSA confiscating or surrendering restricted items, from pocket knives to perfume.
—Jillian Dara, Travel + Leisure, 24 May 2026
The schools claimed this led to staff spending time on confiscating cell phones and other devices, as well as hiring additional staff to support student mental health and counseling.
—Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 23 May 2026
Sunday morning's incident follows the NYPD confiscating vehicles and making arrests last month related to a meet-up in Maspeth, Queens, where fire was involved.
—Lisa Rozner, CBS News, 10 May 2026
His first exhibition in 1963 reportedly caused a stir, with a vice squad identifying pornography in at least two of his paintings, and confiscating them.
—ABC News, 1 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confiscating
Verb
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His job is to test an ultrasonic transducer that sends pulses along a surface to deter mussels from attaching.—
Carmela Karcher,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
-
Because the slots on the UMS keep the brackets for the armrests and chair back aligned with the screw holes, attaching them is easy.—
Will Greenwald,
PC Magazine,
9 June 2026
Verb
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He’s drawn to attempting to achieve things that his predecessors could not, including seizing territory for the United States (Greenland, for sure, but maybe Canada, too) and toppling antagonistic regimes (Venezuela, Iran, possibly Cuba).—
Jonathan Lemire,
The Atlantic,
12 June 2026
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The Scarborough Shoal, known in the Philippines as Bajo de Masinloc and in China as Huangyan Dao, sits within Manila's exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, but Beijing has maintained a near-constant presence around the shoal after seizing de facto control in a tense 2012 standoff.—
James LaPorta,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
Verb
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In his view, the administration is effectively expropriating the decision-making power of owners and handing it to the state.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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People who compost their food scraps and yard trimmings can contribute to reducing landfill methane emissions; improving soil health; and sequestering carbon, according to the EPA.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 2026
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Some residents have accused the police of sequestering fuel supplies, according to local media.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
2 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Confiscating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confiscating. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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