1
as in seized
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 evicted
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 confiscated
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 expropriated
That single word can send a chill down the spine of any entrepreneur in Miami, where there are descendants of so many families whose businesses were confiscated by Castro revolution, including small businesses expropriated in 1968.
—
Sarah Moreno
updated March 24, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2026
Much of the land thus expropriated was then sold cheaply to the Japanese.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Mar. 2026
Much of that early ’Lo gear was boosted from department stores across the New York tristate Area, and ‘Lo Heads ran the risk of their own spoils being expropriated back home.
—Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 1 Mar. 2026
After all, Exxon had its oil assets expropriated in Venezuela less than 20 years ago.
—Jordan Blum, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2026
Both companies have filed arbitration cases against Venezuela seeking billions of dollars in compensation for assets that were expropriated by the government.
—Pia Singh, CNBC, 10 Jan. 2026
After the 1959 revolution, the state expropriated the ground floor.
—Lydia Bell, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Dec. 2024
Sarah Moreno
updated March 24, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2026
Much of the land thus expropriated was then sold cheaply to the Japanese.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Mar. 2026
Much of that early ’Lo gear was boosted from department stores across the New York tristate Area, and ‘Lo Heads ran the risk of their own spoils being expropriated back home.
—Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 1 Mar. 2026
After all, Exxon had its oil assets expropriated in Venezuela less than 20 years ago.
—Jordan Blum, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2026
Both companies have filed arbitration cases against Venezuela seeking billions of dollars in compensation for assets that were expropriated by the government.
—Pia Singh, CNBC, 10 Jan. 2026
After the 1959 revolution, the state expropriated the ground floor.
—Lydia Bell, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expropriated
Verb
-
In October, the DEA Los Angeles Field Division found 628,000 pills containing carfentanil, while in September, officials seized more than 50,000 counterfeit M30 pills from a person at a gas station in Washington state that turned out to be a mixture of carfentanil and acetaminophen.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The West Metro Drug Task Force has arrested a man and seized a large quantity of drugs following a months-long investigation dating back to November.—
Jessica Alvarado Gamez,
Denver Post,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Unable to pay rent in jail, he got evicted.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Just months ago, Abandoned Pet Rescue and other local animal shelters had to rescue 20 chihuahuas from a hoarding situation in which the dogs’ owner was about to be evicted from her home.—
Amanda Rosa
April 9,
Miami Herald,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Kir’s mayoral tenure was during the aftermath of World War II and, like a lot of great things, the Kir cocktail was born out of necessity; most of the region’s red wines had been confiscated by the Germans.—
Jerry & Krista Slater,
AJC.com,
12 Apr. 2026
-
An Indiana Department of Transportation employee allegedly arrived later with the casino worker and confiscated the sign, saying that the union couldn’t be on a public right of way.—
Maya Wilkins,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Vodka had overtaken gin in popularity by 1967, but by 2000 had fully usurped it, like Claudius to King Hamlet—occupied its position, married its wife, and taken control of its lands.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
21 Mar. 2026
-
In other words, the apparatus that became the modern movie camera, up until digital technology usurped the role that film cameras played in capturing the first 100 years of filmmaking.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The growth of colonial Australian society came at the expense of the Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who were often dispossessed of their land, exposed to foreign diseases, and either pushed into marginal areas or forcibly assimilated into European culture.—
Britannica Editors,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
19 Mar. 2026
-
As Morocco’s indigenous inhabitants, El Hammoumy continued, the Berbers are like other native peoples around the world who have been systematically dispossessed of their lands and heritage for centuries.—
Kevin West,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The rocket will launch from a 532-foot (162-meter) long, 131-foot (40-meter) wide barge, the Dong Fang Hang Tian Gang, which has been specially converted for the purpose.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Orbán, replacing Hungary’s liberal constitutional system with a centralized executive model, converted Fidesz’s moral vision into the organizing principle of the state.—
Kapil Komireddi,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The fall of Assad in December 2024 deprived Russia of its one reliable ally in the region.—
Jeffrey Taliaferro,
The Conversation,
11 Apr. 2026
-
This criminal organization deprived them of that peace of mind.—
Dan Snyder,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The administration has refused to spend money Congress has appropriated, like for foreign aid, and has spent money that Congress has not appropriated, like to pay DHS employees despite a shutdown.—
Sam Gringlas,
NPR,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The symbols were easily appropriated for marketing by roadside vendors but weren’t indicative of the separate and distinct Native American cultures in the area.—
Susan Montoya Bryan,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Expropriated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expropriated. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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