Standard Lemma guide

confiscate

adj · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈkɒnfɪskeɪt/
  • US: /ˈkɑnfəˌskeɪt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: K AA1 N F AH0 S K EY2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Confiscated; seized and appropriated by the government for public use; forfeit.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable, obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To use one's authority to lay claim to and separate a possession from its holder.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • In schools, it is common for teachers to confiscate electronic games and other distractions.
  • 1768, Alexander Dow (translator), The History of Hindostan by Muḥammad Qāsim Hindū Shāh Astarābādī, London: T. Becket & P.A. de Hondt, Volume 2, Section 4, p. 63, The Persian having evacuated the imperial provinces, the vizier became more cruel and oppressive than ever: he extorted money from the poor by tortures, and confiscated the estates of the nobility, upon false or very frivolous pretences.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

surrendered as a penalty

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: forfeit, forfeited

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

take temporary possession of as a security, by legal authority

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The FBI seized the drugs
  • The customs agents impounded the illegal shipment
  • The police confiscated the stolen artwork

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: impound, attach, sequester, seize

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: take

Narrower terms: condemn, garnishee, garnish, distrain

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin cōnfiscātus, the perfect passive participle of Latin cōnfiscō (“to seize for the public treasury (fiscus)”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix).

Across languages

Translations

79 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: صَادَرَ (ṣādara) — take possession of by authority
  • Armenian: բռնագրավել (bṙnagravel) — take possession of by authority
  • Armenian: առգրավել (aṙgravel) — take possession of by authority
  • Azerbaijani: müsadirə etmək — take possession of by authority
  • Belarusian: канфіскава́ць (kanfiskavácʹ) — take possession of by authority
  • Belarusian: забіра́ць (zabirácʹ) — take possession of by authority
  • Belarusian: забра́ць (zabrácʹ) — take possession of by authority
  • Bulgarian: конфискувам (konfiskuvam) — take possession of by authority
  • Burmese: သိမ်းပိုက် (sim:puik) — take possession of by authority
  • Catalan: confiscar — take possession of by authority
  • Catalan: comissar — take possession of by authority
  • Chinese Mandarin: 沒收 /没收 (mòshōu) — take possession of by authority
  • Chinese Mandarin: 充公 (chōnggōng) — take possession of by authority
  • Czech: zabavit — take possession of by authority
  • Danish: konfiskere — take possession of by authority
  • Dutch: confisqueren — take possession of by authority
  • Esperanto: konfiski — take possession of by authority
  • Faroese: leggja hald á — take possession of by authority
  • Faroese: draga inn — take possession of by authority
  • Faroese: taka frá — take possession of by authority
  • Finnish: takavarikoida — take possession of by authority
  • French: confisquer — take possession of by authority
  • Galician: confiscar — take possession of by authority
  • Georgian: კონფისკაცია (ḳonpisḳacia) — take possession of by authority
  • German: beschlagnahmen — take possession of by authority
  • German: konfiszieren — take possession of by authority
  • Greek: κατάσχω (katáscho) — take possession of by authority
  • Ancient Greek: δημεύω (dēmeúō) — take possession of by authority
  • Hebrew: החרים (hekhrím) — take possession of by authority
  • Hindi: ज़ब्त करना (zabt karnā) — take possession of by authority
  • Hungarian: elkoboz — take possession of by authority
  • Hungarian: lefoglal — take possession of by authority
  • Hungarian: kisajátít — take possession of by authority
  • Icelandic: gera upptækan — take possession of by authority
  • Ido: konfiskar — take possession of by authority
  • Indonesian: menyita — take possession of by authority
  • Irish: gabh seilbh ar — take possession of by authority
  • Irish: coigistigh — take possession of by authority
  • Italian: confiscare — take possession of by authority
  • Japanese: 没収する (bosshū suru) — take possession of by authority
  • Khmer: ដកហូតយក (dɑɑk hoot yɔɔk) — take possession of by authority
  • Korean: 몰수하다 (molsuhada) — take possession of by authority
  • Northern Kurdish: dest danîn ser — take possession of by authority
  • Latin: auferō — take possession of by authority
  • Latin: cōnfiscō — take possession of by authority
  • Latin: pūblicō — take possession of by authority
  • Luxembourgish: beschlagnahmen — take possession of by authority
  • Norman: confistchi — take possession of by authority
  • Norwegian Bokmål: inndra — take possession of by authority
  • Norwegian Bokmål: konfiskere — take possession of by authority
  • Persian: ضبط کردن (zabt kardan) — take possession of by authority
  • Polish: konfiskować — take possession of by authority
  • Portuguese: confiscar — take possession of by authority
  • Romanian: confisca — take possession of by authority
  • Russian: конфискова́ть (konfiskovátʹ) — take possession of by authority
  • Russian: изыма́ть (izymátʹ) — take possession of by authority
  • Russian: изъя́ть (izʺjátʹ) — take possession of by authority
  • Slovak: zhabať — take possession of by authority
  • Slovene: zasegati — take possession of by authority
  • Slovene: zaseči — take possession of by authority
  • Spanish: decomisar — take possession of by authority
  • Spanish: confiscar — take possession of by authority
  • Spanish: incautar — take possession of by authority
  • Swedish: konfiskera — take possession of by authority
  • Tamil: பிடுங்கு (piṭuṅku) — take possession of by authority
  • Tamil: பறிமுதல் செய் (paṟimutal cey) — take possession of by authority
  • Tamil: பறிமுதல் பண்ணு (paṟimutal paṇṇu) — take possession of by authority
  • Telugu: జప్తు చేయు (japtu cēyu) — take possession of by authority
  • Thai: ยึด (yʉ́t) — take possession of by authority
  • Thai: ริบ (ríp) — take possession of by authority
  • Turkish: el koymak — take possession of by authority
  • Ukrainian: конфіскува́ти (konfiskuváty) — take possession of by authority
  • Ukrainian: вилуча́ти (vylučáty) — take possession of by authority
  • Ukrainian: ви́лучити (výlučyty) — take possession of by authority
  • Ukrainian: відбира́ти (vidbyráty) — take possession of by authority
  • Ukrainian: відібра́ти (vidibráty) — take possession of by authority
  • Urdu: قبضے میں لینا — take possession of by authority
  • Vietnamese: tịch thâu — take possession of by authority
  • Vietnamese: tịch thu — take possession of by authority
Real reading context

confiscate in complete knowledge articles