confiscate

American  

[kon-fuh-skeyt, kuhn-fis-kit] / ˈkɒn fəˌskeɪt, kənˈfɪs kɪt /

verb (used with object)

confiscated, confiscating

1. to seize as forfeited to the public domain; appropriate, by way of penalty, for public use.

2. to seize by or as if by authority; appropriate summarily.

   The border guards confiscated our movie cameras.

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adjective

1. seized or appropriated, as for public use.

confiscate British  

/ ˈkɒnfɪˌskeɪt /

verb

1. to seize (property), esp for public use and esp by way of a penalty

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adjective

1. seized or confiscated; forfeit

2. having lost or been deprived of property through confiscation

Other Word Forms

• confiscatable adjective
• confiscation noun
• confiscator noun
• reconfiscate verb (used with object)
• unconfiscated adjective

Etymology

Origin of confiscate

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin confiscātus “seized,” past participle of confiscāre “to seize for the public treasury,” equivalent to con- con- + fisc(us) “basket, moneybag, public treasury” ( see fiscal) + -āre, verb infinitive suffix

Explanation

To confiscate means to take away temporarily for security or legal reasons. It implies an act by an authority upon one of less power. If you use your cell phone in class, the teacher might confiscate it for the day. Confiscate derives from the Latin confiscat, meaning "to store in a chest, or give to the treasury." In school, if the boys begin throwing pencils at each other, the teacher will confiscate them and "store” them in her desk. She’ll return them, however, when the boys need to take the test. That’s assuming they have not blinded each other beforehand.

Example Sentences

At this point, the most responsible thing Attorney General Pam Bondi could do is confiscate the department’s television remotes and log everyone out of their social media accounts.

From Salon • Feb. 6, 2026

Belgium’s government fears Moscow could formally confiscate assets of Belgian companies that have been trapped in Russia since 2022.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 15, 2025

Youssef framed the evening as an exercise in collective healing—an experiment in what happens when you confiscate phones, sprinkle in jokes about anxiety and war, and then dare an audience to choose hope anyway.

From Slate • Jun. 30, 2025

The son told the neighbor that they had been trying for years to get police to confiscate Vaughn’s weapons.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2025

“You should have, but since you didn’t, I won’t arrest you. But I will have to confiscate the bird.”

From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

Related Words

• appropriate
• expropriate
• impound