Adjacent Words

Confiscate definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CONFISCATE, v.t. [L., a basket, hamper or bag; hence, revenue or the Emperors treasure.] To adjudge to be forfeited to the public treasury, as the goods or estate of a traitor or other criminal, by way of penalty; or to condemn private forfeited property to public use.
The estate of the rebels was seized and confiscated.
CONFISCATE, a. Forfeited and adjudged to the public treasury, as the goods of a criminal.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: surrendered as a penalty [syn: confiscate, forfeit, forfeited] v
1: take temporary possession of as a security, by legal authority; "The FBI seized the drugs"; "The customs agents impounded the illegal shipment"; "The police confiscated the stolen artwork" [syn: impound, attach, sequester, confiscate, seize]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Latin confiscatus, past participle of confiscare to confiscate, from com- + fiscus treasury Date: circa 1533 1. appropriated by the government ; forfeited 2. deprived of property by confiscation II. transitive verb (-cated; -cating) Date: 1552 1. to seize as forfeited to the public treasury 2. to seize by or as if by authority • confiscation noun • confiscator noun • confiscatory adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. 1 take or seize by authority. 2 appropriate to the public treasury (by way of a penalty). Derivatives: confiscable adj. confiscation n. confiscator n. confiscatory adj. Etymology: L confiscare (as com-, fiscare f. fiscus treasury)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Confiscate Con"fis*cate (? or ?), a. [L. confiscatus, p. p. of confiscare to confiscate, prop., to lay up in a chest; con- + fiscus basket, purse, treasury. See Fiscal.] Seized and appropriated by the government to the public use; forfeited. Lest that your goods too soon be confiscate. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Confiscate Con"fis*cate (? or ?; 277), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Confiscated; p. pr. & vb. n. Confiscating.] To seize as forfeited to the public treasury; to appropriate to the public use. It was judged that he should be banished and his whole estate confiscated and seized. --Bacon.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(confiscates, confiscating, confiscated) If you confiscate something from someone, you take it away from them, usually as a punishment. There is concern that police use the law to confiscate assets from people who have committed minor offences... They confiscated weapons, ammunition and propaganda material. = seize VERB: V n from n, V n • confiscation (confiscations) The new laws allow the confiscation of assets purchased with proceeds of the drugs trade. = seizure N-VAR: oft N of n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. Cause to be forfeited, condemn to public use.

Moby Thesaurus

accroach, annex, appropriate, arrogate, attach, collectivize, commandeer, communalize, communize, distrain, expropriate, garnish, impound, impress, levy, nationalize, preempt, press, replevin, replevy, seize, sequester, sequestrate, socialize, take, take away