Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- v. To seize (private property) for the public treasury.
- v. To seize by or as if by authority. See Synonyms at appropriate.
- adj. Seized by a government; appropriated.
- adj. Having lost property through confiscation.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- To adjudge to be forfeited to the public treasury, as the goods or estate of a traitor or other criminal, by way of penalty; appropriate, by way of penalty, to public use.
- To take away from another by or as if by authority; appropriate summarily, as anything improperly held or obtained by another; seize as forfeited for any reason: as, to confiscate a book; the police confiscated a set of gambling implements.
- Forfeited and adjudged to the public treasury, as the goods of a criminal.
- Appropriated under legal authority as forfeited.
Wiktionary
- v. transitive To use one's authority to lay claim to and separate a possession from its holder.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Seized and appropriated by the government to the public use; forfeited.
- v. To seize as forfeited to the public treasury; to appropriate to the public use.
WordNet 3.0
- v. take temporary possession of as a security, by legal authority
- adj. surrendered as a penalty
Etymologies
- From Latin confiscare ("to declare property of the fisc"). (Wiktionary)
- Latin cōnfiscāre, cōnfiscāt : com-, com- + fiscus, treasury. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“I believe the unproductive have no right to confiscate from the productive.”
Tax Cuts for the Rich, Arnold Kling | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty
“But Jesus never told people to confiscate from the rich and give to the poor, Robin Hood style.”
“That is why he is trying to spend every dollar he can confiscate from the American people.”
“A standard that allows him to 'confiscate' privately owned land ... with everybody knowing tha the biggest landlord has always been the government .. with everybody knowing that the new landlords are his family and party members”
“Ryan Denby, chief operations officer at Austin Rare Coins, Inc., says that some investors have become so afraid the federal government will "confiscate" bullion that they have been paying hundreds of dollars extra per ounce to buy gold coins instead.”
The Wall Street Journal: The Case for Investing in Foreign Currencies, Gold Funds
“The Port Authority replies the FAA has no right to "confiscate" the slots, which they claim as their own.”
“Here's a standard dictionary entry for "confiscate:”
“By definition, only a person acting with property authority, such as a police officer with a warrant, can "confiscate" property.”
“The parent did NOT "confiscate" the tape, he stole it.”
“I "confiscate" phones etc. that make noises during lecture, and perhaps that just sends it so "underground" they have to concentrate more on that task.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘confiscate’.
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CULT - protection of young persons
The negative impact of media on young generations (violence, sexual content, hate speech, etc.)
sexualization, child sex traffic..., pornified, porning, corporate paedoph..., sexualised repres..., sexual appeal, sexually objectified, premature sexuali..., sexual connotations, European Parents'..., healthy development and 160 more...
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4087 more...
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JURI - courtroom speak
Legal glossary with special focus on courtroom vocabulary
accused, acquittal, ADA, adjournment, adjudication, affidavit, affirmed, aggravated range, aggravating factors, allegation, alleged, answer and 794 more...
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Undo
A list of terms that denote separating one thing from another, or deconstructing a thing into its parts or to a former state. E.g., untie, divorce, unscramble.
untie, divorce, unscramble, disunite, disjoin, undo, separate, disassemble, uncouple, unhitch, disassociate, disaffiliate and 185 more...
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SAT words
tergiversate, cymotrichous, vigilance, wince, consternation, cower, neutralize, euphony, cacophony, misanthrope, bibliophile, kleptomania and 81 more...
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September Words-11337
During the month of September, post at least 10 new words to this list. Make sure you cite where you read the word (book/author/pg) and quote the context/sentence where you found it. If someone has...
flabbergasted, discombobulated, inclination, serendipity, savvy, profound, incarnation, myriad, confiscate, audacity, deciduous, adieu and 79 more...
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ChortleGiggleSnort
Significant Words- Guiding you on your path to Snazzibility
flimsy, feeble, ranting, ramble, narky, snazzy, yoghurt, bulbous, pustule, globulous, geranium, megalomaniac and 521 more...
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kalidas's Words
crepuscular, mellifluous, ephemeral, diaphanous, zeitgeist, geisterfahrer, infinite, eternal, idyllic, azure, reminiscent, oblivion and 521 more...
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eggplantia5's Words
scintillate, marvel, cranberry, oscillate, triumph, bamboozle, grimace, magical, book, hexagon, cipher, compendium and 2727 more...
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Malachi_Constant's Words
triumverate, pandemic, parsnip, delineate, zamboni, parka, laser, swoop, malevolent, benevolent, fracas, tipsy and 372 more...
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From Book - SAT & College Dictionary ...
ebb, exotic, immure, abeyance, panegyric, debonair, protege, dissipate, frantic, penitent, abject, edify and 871 more...
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SAT
abandon,extreme e..., abash,to humiliate, abate,to lessen, abbreviate,to sho..., abridge, abdicate,to forma..., aberration,depart..., abnormality, abet,to encourage, abhor,to hate, abide,to follow o..., abject,utterly ho... and 2228 more...
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big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6691 more...
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SAT
abandon,extreme e..., dispensing of all..., abash,to humiliate, abate,to lessen, abbreviate,to sho..., abridge, abdicate,to forma..., aberration,depart..., abnormality, abet,to encourage, abhor,to hate, abide,to follow o... and 2229 more...
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ash
ash
abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abide, abject, abjure and 4874 more...
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SAT
abandon,extreme e..., dispensing of all..., abash,to humiliate, abate,to lessen, abbreviate,to sho..., abridge, abdicate,to forma..., aberration,depart..., abnormality, abet,to encourage, abhor,to hate, abide,to follow o... and 2229 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for confiscate.
kylenorth "Macroeconomics book"- Sep 22, 2010