View synonyms for confiscation

confiscation

[ kon-fuh-skey-shuhn ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

the act, as a penalty, of seizing or appropriating something for public use or for ownership by the state:
The government introduced a bill allowing the confiscation of property belonging to foreign states.
the act of seizing something by or as if by authority:
In order to avoid confiscation of their cell phones under the strict new rule, many teens only became more secretive about using them.

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Other Words From

non·con·fis·ca·tion noun
pro·con·fis·ca·tion noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of confiscation¹

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin cōnfiscātiōn-, stem of cōnfiscātiō “seizure,” from cōnfiscāt(us) “seized” (past participle of cōnfiscāre “to seize for the public treasury”; confiscate ( def ) ) + -iō -ion ( def )

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Example Sentences

Anti-state charges remain common across the globeKurdish journalist Dindar Karataş was detained and his equipment confiscated in November in the eastern city of Van.

From Fortune

The Baltimore law firm went to court to challenge the search, saying thousands of electronic files unrelated to the investigation were confiscated.

From Washington Post

One FDA study found that 85 percent of confiscated drugs that were supposedly imported from Canada were actually manufactured in 27 other countries.

From Washington Blade

Methamphetamine seizures rose 41 percent, heroin was up 181 percent and CBP confiscated 300 percent more fentanyl than in October 2019, he said.

From Washington Post

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confiscate confiscatory

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