1
as in to seize
to take or make use of under a guise of authority but without actual right
dissidents were shot, and their lands expropriated under his regime
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2
as in to evict
to end the occupancy or possession of
the state will have to expropriate scores of homeowners in order to build the new road
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3
as in to confiscate
to take ownership or control of (something) by right of one's authority
plans by the city to expropriate entire blocks of houses in order to bulldoze them for expansion of the airport
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of expropriate
As part of the scheme, the UFC not only controls Fighters’ careers, but also takes and expropriates the rights to their names and likenesses in perpetuity.
—
Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 31 July 2024
Within six years, Berlin’s fashion companies, most of which were Jewish, were expropriated, the fashion designers were expelled, forced labor was established and the creative industry that had existed since 1836 was destroyed.
—Uwe Westphal, Sun Sentinel, 16 July 2024
Since the 1970s, the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh have variously been engaged in negotiations and lawsuits to reclaim reserve land illegally expropriated by the Canadian government.
—Sara Miller Llana, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 June 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for expropriate 
Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 31 July 2024
Within six years, Berlin’s fashion companies, most of which were Jewish, were expropriated, the fashion designers were expelled, forced labor was established and the creative industry that had existed since 1836 was destroyed.
—Uwe Westphal, Sun Sentinel, 16 July 2024
Since the 1970s, the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh have variously been engaged in negotiations and lawsuits to reclaim reserve land illegally expropriated by the Canadian government.
—Sara Miller Llana, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 June 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for expropriate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expropriate
Verb
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Around 700,000 Israeli settlers live among 2.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, land Israel seized in the 1967 Middle East war.—
Reuters,
NBC News,
23 Jan. 2025
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Yemen's Houthi rebels announced on Wednesday the release of the crew of the Galaxy Leader, a commercial vessel seized in November 2023 during their campaign in the Red Sea.—
Raul A. Reyes,
Newsweek,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Its owners were evicted in 2019 so the building could be razed for future development, The Charlotte Observer reported at the time.—
Joe Marusak,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Jan. 2025
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The landlord evicted the TGI Fridays franchisee, Orlando Restaurants Inc., in October for nonpayment around the same time the chain’s parent company filed for Chapter 11 reorganization.—
Laura Kinsler,
Orlando Sentinel,
13 Jan. 2025
Verb
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His service items, including his badge and firearm, were also confiscated.—
Barbara A. Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Jan. 2025
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We were interrogated, the contents of our suitcase was kind of picked through and things were confiscated.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
22 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Anthony held the No. 1 spot in Baseball America's previous rankings but was usurped by Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki, who recently signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.—
John Yoo and John Shu,
Newsweek,
24 Jan. 2025
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By using these authorities to address a longstanding policy problem, Trump is usurping the role that the Constitution assigns to Congress.—
Elizabeth Goitein,
TIME,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Moscow is slowly taking territory at the cost of high casualties along the 600-mile front line in eastern Ukraine and launching intense barrages at Ukraine’s energy system, seeking to deprive its people of heat and light in the depths of winter.—
Jill Lawless,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Jan. 2025
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Moscow is slowly taking territory at the cost of high casualties along the 600-mile (1,000-kilometer) front line in eastern Ukraine and launching intense barrages at Ukraine’s energy system, seeking to deprive Ukrainians of heat and light in the depths of winter.—
Fox News,
Fox News,
16 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Mary Lou Lord told me about a particularly bad day in the London Tube, where a creepy guy with one arm peed in her guitar case, then stole her money—so that would be a bad day for her.—
Cary Baker,
SPIN,
29 Jan. 2025
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UnitedHealth Group now said hackers stole records of about 190 million people in last February's attack on its Change Healthcare subsidiary.—
Ken Alltucker,
USA TODAY,
29 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Guimaraes was dispossessed, and Newcastle fell behind.—
Michael Cox,
The Athletic,
19 Jan. 2025
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Later, edge rusher Nolan Smith dispossessed Stafford.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Jan. 2025
Verb
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In the hills of the Palisades, near the Temescal Ridge Trail, Alex Emerick, 34, his younger sister, Rainier, and their parents grabbed garden hoses at their home of 33 years.—
Laura J. Nelson,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Jan. 2025
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Junior forward Lawrence Sallis also grabbed 13 rebounds for the Royals.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near expropriate
Cite this Entry
“Expropriate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expropriate. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
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