1
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

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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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of expropriate Since 2022, the Ukrainian government has proceeded systematically to expropriate the assets of these companies, diminishing the interests of private investors, and, in the end, decreasing the amount of energy actually produced. Daniel Markind, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025 About a dozen European companies have had their Russian subsidiaries expropriated by presidential decree, including Danish brewer Carlsberg and Finnish utility Fortum and the Kremlin has warned of more asset seizures. Anna Hirtenstein and Alexander Marrow, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2025 From the fourteenth century onward, Ottoman sultans regularly expropriated their subjects, including merchants, soldiers, and state officials. Timur Kuran, Foreign Affairs, 15 Aug. 2017 Castillo at one time threatened to expropriate mining concessions and Petro has pledged to halt oil and coal investment and exploration in a unilateral bid to address climate change. Christopher Sabatini, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2022 See All Example Sentences for expropriate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expropriate
Verb
  • Morena overhauled the court system late last year, fueling protests and criticism that the reform is an attempt by those in power to seize on their political popularity to gain control of the branch of government, that was until now, out of their reach.
    MARÍA VERZA, Arkansas Online, 3 June 2025
  • Arrests made, guns seized after 5 musicians found dead near U.S. border Feds charge California man with threatening to kill Trump on Facebook Cold Case DNA Florida Emily Mae Czachor Emily Mae Czachor is a news editor at CBSNews.com.
    Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 3 June 2025
Verb
  • The officer told Dean that, under North Carolina law, the woman was a resident at the hotel and would need to be evicted to be forced to leave.
    Jeff A. Chamer, Charlotte Observer, 27 May 2025
  • One article from a respected legacy publication just last year centered on how to get your neighbor evicted for smelling like weed.
    Lindsey Bartlett, Rolling Stone, 27 May 2025
Verb
  • Her family remained in Italy until 1939, when the Italian Racial Laws barred Jews from certain jobs and ordered Jewish property and businesses to be confiscated.
    Grace Gilson, Sun Sentinel, 5 June 2025
  • After Parker was revealed to be Spider-Man, the glasses were confiscated and haven't been seen since.
    Jeremy Hanna, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 June 2025
Verb
  • The lawsuit says the administration is usurping Congress' power to direct how federal money will be spent and to pass laws.
    Brittney Melton, NPR, 28 May 2025
  • Comments Netflix's Sirens finds Milly Alcock's Simone usurping Julianne Moore's Michaela as queen of the Kell family.
    Randall Colburn, EW.com, 23 May 2025
Verb
  • The Administration has continued retaliating by depriving Harvard of billions of dollars in federal grants and contracts, and by attempting to strip the university’s tax-exempt status.
    Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 29 May 2025
  • Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who killed Floyd, is serving two sentences of more than 20 years in prison for a federal charge of depriving Floyd of his civil rights, and state charges of unintentional murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter.
    Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 25 May 2025
Verb
  • This image from Japan catches a White-Tailed Sea Eagle hiding a fish in a hole as another eagle was approaching to steal it.
    Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
  • Even with Yarbrough allowing eight runs, the Yankees still had a chance to steal a win Saturday night.
    Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 8 June 2025
Verb
  • Starting the game in intense fashion, their decision to press Barca high up the pitch paid off as Federico Dimarco dispossessed Dani Olmo and immediately found Denzel Dumfries.
    Adam Digby, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
  • During a discriminatory apartheid government that ended in the mid-1990s, Black South Africans were forcibly dispossessed of their lands for the benefit of Whites.
    Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 21 May 2025
Verb
  • Appeal To All Five Senses People still like going out, meeting others and grabbing coffee.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
  • Scott grabbed some pizza and returned to park her Subaru near the West Shore Market to wait for Serafini.
    Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 6 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Expropriate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expropriate. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.

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