expropriate

[eks-proh-pree-eyt] /ɛksˈproʊ priˌeɪt/
verb (used with object), expropriated, expropriating.
1.
to take possession of, especially for public use by the right of eminent domain, thus divesting the title of the private owner:
The government expropriated the land for a recreation area.
2.
to dispossess (a person) of ownership:
The revolutionary government expropriated the landowners from their estates.
3.
to take (something) from another's possession for one's own use:
He expropriated my ideas for his own article.
Origin
1605-15; < Medieval Latin expropriātus separated from one's own (past participle of expropriāre), equivalent to ex- ex-1 + propri(āre) to appropriate (derivative of proprius proper) + -ātus -ate1
Related forms
expropriable
[eks-proh-pree-uh-buh l] /ɛksˈproʊ pri ə bəl/ (Show IPA), adjective
expropriation, noun
expropriationist, adjective, noun
expropriator, noun
de-expropriation, noun
unexpropriable, adjective
unexpropriated, adjective
Can be confused
appropriate, apropos, expropriate.
Examples from the web for expropriate
  • In other words, it wants to be able to expropriate the inventor's intellectual property.
  • And by controlling the law, the scholars could limit the ability of the executive to expropriate the property of private citizens.
  • They are rightly angry when outsiders expropriate what they consider to be their land and resources.
  • Fifth, the candidates are measured on how much wealth they were able to expropriate through their charge as a national leader.
  • They may have made a big loan to an infrastructure project, which the government might seek to expropriate, for example.
  • The government reserves the right to expropriate land at any time for public use.
  • Otherwise an individual is not permitted to expropriate currency and it will be confiscated at the point of departure.
  • The work of translation might thus be said to carry a double duty: to expropriate oneself as one appropriates the other.
  • The current market conditions conspire to expropriate the right of the consumer to enjoy a full flavored, rich cup of coffee.
British Dictionary definitions for expropriate

expropriate

/ɛksˈprəʊprɪˌeɪt/
verb (transitive)
1.
to deprive (an owner) of (property), esp by taking it for public use See also eminent domain
Derived Forms
expropriable, adjective
expropriation, noun
expropriator, noun
Word Origin
C17: from Medieval Latin expropriāre to deprive of possessions, from proprius own
Word Origin and History for expropriate
v.

1610s, back-formation from expropriation, or from earlier adjective (mid-15c.), or from Medieval Latin expropriatus, past participle of expropriare "to deprive of one's own." Related: Expropriated; expropriating.