Standard Lemma guide

expropriation

noun · 2 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.

  • /ɛksˌpɹoʊpɹiˈeɪʃən/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪʃən
  • CMU ARPABET: EH2 K S P R OW2 P R IY0 EY1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The act of expropriating; the surrender of a claim to private property without material compensation; the act of depriving oneself of private propriety rights.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • c. 1648, Walter Montagu, Devout Essaies. The soul of man then is capable of a state of much peace and equanimity, in the exterior bands and agitations; but this capacity is rather an effect of the expropriation of our reason, then a vertue resulting from her single capacity.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

taking out of an owner's hands (especially taking property by public authority)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: confiscation, arrogation

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English expropriate Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin -ātiōlbor. Old French -ationbor. Middle English -acioun English -ation English -ion English expropriation From expropriate + -ion.

Across languages

Translations

32 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: ունեզրկում (unezrkum) — act of expropriating
  • Armenian: բռնագրավում (bṙnagravum) — act of expropriating
  • Armenian: սեփականազրկում (sepʻakanazrkum) — act of expropriating
  • Belarusian: экспрапрыяцыя (eksprapryjacyja) — act of expropriating
  • Bulgarian: отчуждаване (otčuždavane) — act of expropriating
  • Catalan: expropiació — act of expropriating
  • Czech: vyvlastnění — act of expropriating
  • Czech: zabavení — act of expropriating
  • Czech: konfiskace — act of expropriating
  • Dutch: onteigening — act of expropriating
  • Esperanto: eksproprietigo — act of expropriating
  • Faroese: ognartøka — act of expropriating
  • Finnish: pakkoluovutus — act of expropriating
  • Finnish: pakko-otto — act of expropriating
  • French: expropriation — act of expropriating
  • Galician: expropiación — act of expropriating
  • German: Enteignung — act of expropriating
  • German: Expropriation — act of expropriating
  • Greek: απαλλοτρίωση (apallotríosi) — act of expropriating
  • Hungarian: kisajátítás — act of expropriating
  • Hungarian: elbirtoklás — act of expropriating
  • Italian: espropriazione — act of expropriating
  • Japanese: 収用 (shūyō) — act of expropriating
  • Polish: wywłaszczenie — act of expropriating
  • Polish: ekspropriacja — act of expropriating
  • Portuguese: expropriação — act of expropriating
  • Romanian: expropriere — act of expropriating
  • Russian: экспроприа́ция (ekspropriácija) — act of expropriating
  • Spanish: expropiación — act of expropriating
  • Swedish: expropriering — act of expropriating
  • Turkish: zor alım — act of expropriating
  • Turkish: müsadere — act of expropriating