1
as in to seize
to take or make use of under a guise of authority but without actual right
dissidents were shot, and their lands expropriated under his regime
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in to evict
to end the occupancy or possession of
the state will have to expropriate scores of homeowners in order to build the new road
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to confiscate
to take ownership or control of (something) by right of one's authority
plans by the city to expropriate entire blocks of houses in order to bulldoze them for expansion of the airport
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of expropriate
Hendley was part of a 2018 study that found between $3.2 and $4 billion of wealth was expropriated during the 1950s and 1960s.
—
Darcel Rockett, Chicago Tribune, 6 July 2025
This time, Trump took issue with a new law by which the government could expropriate white farmers’ unused property.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 1 June 2025
The White minority that had subjugated and ruled the Black majority after expropriating their land, herding them into poor Bantustans and profiting from their cheap labor, would yield to democracy and a new constitution that would grant the right to vote to all South Africans.
—Lydia Polgreen, Mercury News, 27 May 2025
The government now uses the law as a weapon to expropriate property from bona fide owners, including those previously seen as regime supporters.
—Andrei Yakovlev, Foreign Affairs, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for expropriate
Darcel Rockett, Chicago Tribune, 6 July 2025
This time, Trump took issue with a new law by which the government could expropriate white farmers’ unused property.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 1 June 2025
The White minority that had subjugated and ruled the Black majority after expropriating their land, herding them into poor Bantustans and profiting from their cheap labor, would yield to democracy and a new constitution that would grant the right to vote to all South Africans.
—Lydia Polgreen, Mercury News, 27 May 2025
The government now uses the law as a weapon to expropriate property from bona fide owners, including those previously seen as regime supporters.
—Andrei Yakovlev, Foreign Affairs, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for expropriate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expropriate
Verb
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On Iowa State’s next possession, TCU senior safety Bud Clark came up with a massive interception right before the two-minute timeout, giving TCU a great opportunity to seize control of the game with the Horned Frogs getting the ball at halftime.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Nov. 2025
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Pokrovsk would be the largest city Russia has seized since Bakhmut in May 2023.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Oliver eliminates one pole-climbing threat by plopping a hat on his head, leading to a big fall — then takes this as an opportunity to evict his squatter.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
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The monarch is reportedly trying to reclaim royal residences after Harry and Meghan were evicted from Frogmore Cottage.—
StyleCaster Editors,
StyleCaster,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Milwaukee Marshall High School confiscates a student’s phone until the end of the day for a first offense, requires a parent pickup after a second offense and issues an automatic suspension for repeat violations.—
Kayla Huynh,
jsonline.com,
5 Nov. 2025
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He once got caught with a knife, but correctional officers didn't confiscate it.—
Kristine Phillips,
IndyStar,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In its court filings Friday, the administration contended that the judge had usurped both legislative and executive authority.—
Michelle L. Price,
Fortune,
9 Nov. 2025
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Twice, the administration appealed, contending that the judiciary had usurped Congress's spending power by directing the executive branch to find the money.—
James Sample,
ABC News,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The group also argued that moving people into federal immigration custody while local criminal cases are ongoing disrupts the legal process, potentially depriving victims of justice and defendants the opportunity to defend against charges.—
Laura Schulte,
jsonline.com,
7 Nov. 2025
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But the Court held that Scott was property and the Constitution does not allow the government to deprive a citizen of property without due process of law.—
Equal Justice Initiative,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Maia’s horrified to realize that the bag was stolen; Tallulah’s mostly just annoyed she got caught.—
Caroline Framke,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
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Before his imprisonment, Chacón was arrested in 2024 on a domestic violence charge and, in 2025, was accused of stealing merchandise at a Walmart.—
Tamia Fowlkes,
jsonline.com,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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For me, the flashback is suggestive but not conclusive — maybe Arthur’s genuinely confused about the identity of the man in his house, or maybe this is his chance at revenge against the white men who have continually dispossessed his family and his people.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
29 Oct. 2025
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Like Dunbar’s speakers, Hughes’s dispossessed have no way out, and the poem implicitly refutes optimism regarding the Great Migration and racial progress.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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However, Cena outsmarted him by grabbing the chair, throwing it next to Dom, and pretending to be down on the mat.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
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Security camera footage from a nearby apartment complex showed the naked man walking across the street prior to the incident, seemingly talking to himself and grabbing a sign, per NBC 4.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Expropriate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expropriate. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
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