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confiscate

verb

Simple meaning

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

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

kahnfuhskayt

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈkɑnfəskeɪt

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. transitive

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

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C2 · Proficient (estimated)
Frequency
Rare

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

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

Used this way, confiscate is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Nearby words

  • sequester , a specialist term, precise but narrower
  • impound , a specialist term, precise but narrower

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

confiscate propertyconfiscate landsimply confiscate

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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?

Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.

  • attach

    To take, seize, or lay hold of.

  • sequester

    To temporarily remove (property) from the possession of its owner and hold it as security against legal claims.

  • impound

    To hold back.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: to use one's authority to lay claim to and separate a possession from its holder

sequesterTechnical

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.