Definition of "confiscate" in English

verb

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

   • In schools, it is common for teachers to confiscate electronic games and other distractions.
   • 1768, Alexander Dow (translator), The History of Hindostan by Muḥammad Qāsim Hindū Shāh Astarābādī, London: T. Becket & P.A. de Hondt, Volume 2, Section 4, p. 63, The Persian having evacuated the imperial provinces, the vizier became more cruel and oppressive than ever: he extorted money from the poor by tortures, and confiscated the estates of the nobility, upon false or very frivolous pretences.

adjective

1. (obsolete) Confiscated; seized and appropriated by the government for public use; forfeit.