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confiscate

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To confiscate is for an authority figure to take something away, often as a penalty.

(verb)

An example of confiscate is to take a student’s cell phone after they used it during classtime.

See confiscate in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb confiscated, confiscating

to seize (private property) for the public treasury, usually as a penalty
to seize by or as by authority; appropriate

Origin: < L confiscatus, pp. of confiscare, to lay up in a chest < com-, together + fiscus, money basket, public treasury: see fiscal

adjective

confiscated
having property confiscated

Related Forms:

confiscation noun
confiscator noun

See confiscate in American Heritage Dictionary 4

transitive verb con·fis·cat·ed, con·fis·cat·ing, con·fis·cates

To seize (private property) for the public treasury.
To seize by or as if by authority. See Synonyms at appropriate.

adjective (kŏnˈfĭ-skātˌ, kən-fĭsˈkət)

Seized by a government; appropriated.
Having lost property through confiscation.

Origin:

Origin: Latin cōnfiscāre, cōnfiscāt

Origin: : com-, com-

Origin: + fiscus, treasury

Related Forms:

conˌfis·caˈtion noun

conˈfis·caˌtor noun

con·fisˈca·toˌry (kən-fĭsˈkə-tôrˌē, -tōrˌē) adjective

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