Confiscate

  • 1confiscate — con·fis·cate / kän fə ˌskāt/ vt cat·ed, cat·ing: to seize without compensation as forfeited to the public treasury compare criminal forfeiture ◇ Illegal items such as narcotics or firearms, or profits from the sale of illegal items, may be… …

    Law dictionary

  • 2confiscate — con‧fis‧cate [ˈkɒnfskeɪt ǁ ˈkɑːn ] verb [transitive] LAW to officially take private property away from someone, for example because a crime has been committed: • The state can confiscate criminals profits from books or movies describing their… …

    Financial and business terms

  • 3Confiscate — 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. [1913 Webster] …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 4Confiscate — 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. [1913 Webster] It was judged that he should be banished and his whole… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 5confiscate — 1550s, originally, to appropriate for the treasury, from L. confiscatus, pp. of confiscare, from com together (see COM (Cf. com )) + fiscus public treasury, lit. money basket. Related: Confiscated; confiscating …

    Etymology dictionary

  • 6confiscate — appropriate, *arrogate, usurp, preempt Analogous words: seize, *take, grab: condemn, proscribe (see SENTENCE vb) …

    New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • 7confiscate — [v] steal; seize accroach, annex, appropriate, arrogate, assume, commandeer, confisticate, expropriate, glom on to*, grab, hijack, impound, liberate, moonlight requisition*, possess oneself of, preempt, sequester, sequestrate, swipe, take, take… …

    New thesaurus

  • 8confiscate — ► VERB 1) take or seize (property) with authority. 2) appropriate to the public treasury as a penalty. DERIVATIVES confiscation noun confiscatory adjective. ORIGIN Latin confiscare put away in a chest, consign to the public treasury , from fiscus …

    English terms dictionary

  • 9confiscate — [kän′fis kāt΄] vt. confiscated, confiscating [< L confiscatus, pp. of confiscare, to lay up in a chest < com , together + fiscus, money basket, public treasury: see FISCAL] 1. to seize (private property) for the public treasury, usually as… …

    English World dictionary

  • 10confiscate — v. (D; tr.) to confiscate from * * * [ kɒnfɪskeɪt] (D; tr.) to confiscate from …

    Combinatory dictionary