expropriate

verb

ex·​pro·​pri·​ate ek-ˈsprō-prē-ˌāt 

expropriated; expropriating

transitive verb

1

: to deprive of possession or proprietary rights

2

: to transfer (the property of another) to one's own possession

expropriator

ek-ˈsprō-prē-ˌā-tər 

noun

Did you know?

If you guessed that expropriate has something in common with the verb appropriate, you're right. Both words ultimately derive from the Latin adjective proprius, meaning "own." Expropriate came to English by way of the Medieval Latin verb expropriare, itself from Latin ex- ("out of" or "from") and proprius. Appropriate descends from Late Latin appropriare, which joins proprius and Latin ad- ("to" or "toward"). Both the verb appropriate ("to take possession of" or "to set aside for a particular use") and the adjective appropriate ("fitting" or "suitable") have been with us since the 15th century, and expropriate was officially appropriated in the 17th century. Other proprius descendants in English include proper and property.

Synonyms

• appropriate
• arrogate
• commandeer
• convert
• pirate
• preempt
• press
• seize
• take over
• usurp

Examples of expropriate in a Sentence

dissidents were shot, and their lands expropriated under his regime

the state will have to expropriate scores of homeowners in order to build the new road

Recent Examples on the Web

On the edge of the waterfront, this meeting place where beaver and salmon abounded was slowly expropriated amid construction of railways and increasing industrialization until the Squamish were put on a barge in 1913 and sent to existing reserves. —Sara Miller Llana, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 June 2024

Were chaos to engulf Moscow, China could move to retake the expansive lands of the Amur basin that the Romanovs expropriated from the Qing. —Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2024

The European Union is pushing to restore ecosystems in the face of widespread environmental degradation, which contributes to climate change, so the state has expropriated their land. —Whitney Eulich, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Apr. 2024

The house of worship was expropriated and given to a Russian Ministry. —Peter Pomerantsev, TIME, 20 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin expropriatus, past participle of expropriare, from Latin ex- + proprius own

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

expropriate

verb

ex·​pro·​pri·​ate ek-ˈsprō-prē-ˌāt 

expropriated; expropriating

1

: to deprive of ownership or the right of ownership

2

: to take over the property of another especially by government action

expropriation

(ˌ)ek-ˌsprō-prē-ˈā-shən

noun

Legal Definition

expropriate

transitive verb

ex·​pro·​pri·​ate ek-ˈsprō-prē-ˌāt 

expropriated; expropriating

: to take (property) of an individual in the exercise of state sovereignty (as by eminent domain)

expropriation

ek-ˌsprō-prē-ˈā-shən 

noun