1
as in seizing
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
Relevance
2
as in evicting
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 confiscating
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 expropriating
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
Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expropriating
Verb
-
Her business is seizing the moment as AI radically transforms workflows, including that of lawyers, but her initial passion for the career came much earlier in life.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Targeting property Iran’s judiciary has begun seizing the property of public figures critical of the country’s rulers, under an anti-espionage law approved during last year’s 12-day war with Israel that punishes media and cultural activities deemed to support Iran’s enemies.—
Amir-Hussein Radjy,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The homeowners were in the process of evicting Jennifer Crouse and John Crouse, who was 70 at the time, police wrote in the affidavit.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Several landlords who own similar apartment buildings in the city have described an upswing in nonpaying tenants since the pandemic and greater difficulties in court evicting nonpayers.—
JC Reindl,
Freep.com,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The sisters’ mother, Vesta Louis, told Politico this week that federal investigators raided both of their homes in simultaneous operations on March 23, confiscating their cellphones and other electronics.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
2 Apr. 2026
-
While Tehran is being bombarded, the regime’s security forces have been stationed at checkpoints across the city, searching civilians and confiscating their phones.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Melrose, Massachusetts attorney Henry Rappa is accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from a couple who hired him to handle a major family inheritance.—
Mike Sullivan,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
His exasperated wife, Lili, gets a classic Lucy Punch-up from the veteran scene-stealing British actress (Jingle Bell Heist).—
Sarah Rodman,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
How a state comes to control another land and its people, sometimes slowly dispossessing the natives of their lands, sometimes laying waste to them, sometimes committing genocide.—
Philip Metres
August 27,
Literary Hub,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
One of the things that's gone really wrong in America is this gas station/convenience store/fast food restaurant that is usurping small town America.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
26 Mar. 2026
-
By January 2025, Szczesny had become manager Hansi Flick’s No 1 choice in goal, putting together a string of solid performances and usurping Inaki Pena in the role.—
Pol Ballús,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Bondi cut off the American Bar Association’s access to judicial nominees for the first time in 72 years, depriving the Senate of an independent opinion on their qualifications.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Apr. 2026
-
If any Houthi attacks were to effectively block the strait, Xu told CNN, the Saudis would either start prioritizing crude shipments for nearby Europe —thus depriving Asia — or route oil tankers to Asia through the Suez Canal.—
Anna Cooban,
CNN Money,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Kyla Oldacre led Texas with 11 points off the bench while grabbing seven rebounds.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The victim listed in the police records later told police about two incidents of physical assault, including grabbing, scratching, shoving and striking, according to the documents.—
Meriam Bouarrouj,
NBC news,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Expropriating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expropriating. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
