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 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 Market value was preponderant in determining the value of the piece of land that the state deemed worthy of expropriating. Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025 Nor has any land been expropriated without compensation. Lauren Kent, CNN, 11 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for expropriate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expropriate
Verb
  • Officials with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms conducted a search at Ross’ home in Oklahoma and seized materials that were used to build the explosive devices, police said.
    Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 May 2025
  • Israel imposed a blockade on all supplies entering Gaza in March, saying Hamas was seizing supplies meant for civilians - a charge the group denies.
    Nidal al-Mughrabi, USA Today, 23 May 2025
Verb
  • These ordinances are meant to keep neighborhoods safe by evicting dangerous criminals.
    Sidnee King Pineda, New York Times, 13 May 2025
  • Two people were arrested at a residence in Killingly on Monday after the property owner alleged that he was assaulted and threatened after finding the two men inside the home despite being evicted.
    Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 7 May 2025
Verb
  • Our families could be dishonored in public, our personal memories confiscated for storage inside the Criminal Archives.
    Hazlitt, Hazlitt, 13 May 2025
  • But white farmers are being brutally killed, and their land is being confiscated in South Africa.
    Shannon K. Kingston, ABC News, 13 May 2025
Verb
  • None of this bodes well for Vance’s argument that judges are trying to usurp the role of American voters.
    Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 25 May 2025
  • Pitney Bowes is now on its fourth CEO in three years, with the activist investor that started it all usurping the head of the table.
    Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 23 May 2025
Verb
  • Tapper believes that the effort of family and his longtime staff members to hide Biden’s condition deprived the Democratic Party of the chance to determine if its chances were better with another candidate, who would have benefited from more time to mount a campaign against Trump.
    Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2025
  • Sixteen Penn swimmers anonymously signed a letter claiming that Thomas' participation deprived them of fair opportunities.
    Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 May 2025
Verb
  • Mike gets into a brawl when Nathan (Dickinson, uncredited), a fellow addict also living rough, steals his wallet and blows all his cash.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2025
  • The ‘Turkey Brothers’ steal the encore with a boisterous jam As fans begged for an encore to an empty stage, an unlikely guest took center stage.
    Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 17 May 2025
Verb
  • 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
  • Nico Williams soon dispossessed a stumbling Harry Maguire in the United half, and almost put Maroan Sannadi clear.
    Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 2 May 2025
Verb
  • In the morning, the restaurant doubles as a coffee shop where guests can grab drip coffee, fresh juices, and a small selection of hot and cold breakfast options, including the beloved Hawaiian classic, Loco Moco.
    Jalyn Robinson, Travel + Leisure, 25 May 2025
  • The colorful bar framed in bright neon lights is on the main concourse, so people walking by can grab a drink and head to the casino or other favorite activity, Allen said.
    Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 24 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Expropriate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expropriate. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

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