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confiscate

Pronunciation: /ˈkɒnfɪskeɪt/
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Definition of confiscate

verb

[with object]
  • take or seize (someone’s property) with authority:the guards confiscated his camera (as adjective confiscated)confiscated equipment
  • appropriate (something, especially land) to the public treasury as a penalty: the government confiscated his property early in the war

Derivatives

confiscator

noun

confiscatory

Pronunciation: /kənˈfɪskət(ə)ri/
adjective

Origin:

mid 16th century: from Latin confiscat- 'put away in a chest, consigned to the public treasury', from the verb confiscare, based on con- 'together' + fiscus 'chest, treasury'

confiscate in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of confiscate in the US English dictionary

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