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
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/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