Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Confiscate |
ConfiscateAdjective1. Surrendered as a penalty. 2. Taken without permission or consent especially by public authority; "the condemned land was used for a highway cloverleaf"; "the confiscated liquor was poured down the drain. Verb1. Take by legal authority; "The FBI seized the drugs"; "The customs agents impounded the illegal shipment"; "The police confiscated the stolen artwork". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "confiscate" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1380. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Literature | Confiscate (3 syl.). To forfeit to the public treasury. (Latin, con fiscus, with the tribute money.) "If thou dost shed one drop of Christian blood, Thy lands and goods are, by the laws of Venice, Confiscate to the State of Venice." Shakespeare: Merchant of Venice, iv. 1. Source: Brewer's Dictionary. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Synonyms: ConfiscateSynonyms: appropriated (adj), condemned (adj), confiscated (adj), forfeit (adj), forfeited (adj), seized (adj), taken over (adj), attach (v), impound (v), seize (v), sequester (v). (additional references) |
| Synonym by domain: confiscating (law). |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Condemnation | Verb: condemn, convict, cast, bring home to, find guilty, damn, doom, sign the death warrant, sentence, pass sentence on, attaint, confiscate, proscribe, sequestrate; nonsuit. |
Penalty | Verb: fine, mulct, amerce, sconce, confiscate; sequestrate, sequester; escheat; estreat, forfeit. |
Taking | Oust; (eject); divest; levy, distrain, confiscate; sequester, sequestrate; accroach; usurp; despoil, strip, fleece, shear, displume, impoverish, eat out of house and home; drain, drain to the dregs; gut, dry, exhaust, swallow up; absorb; (suck in); draw off; suck the blood of, suck like a leech. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Confiscate |
| English words defined with "confiscate": Confiscating ♦ distrain. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "confiscate": demoscene ♦ FRANKALMOIGNE ♦ to arrest, to embargo, to seize. (references) |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | I don't buy that, I confiscate it. And a touch of it wouldn't do you any harm against the night air! (True Grit; writing credit: Charles Portis; Marguerite Roberts) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title |
Books | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Business | In cases of unlicensed leasing activities, action may be brought to invalidate such transactions and confiscate the proceeds. (references) | |
Civil Liberties | Belarus | When individuals failed to pay fines, authorities threatened to confiscate their property. (references) |
Saudi Arabia | The authorities sometimes confiscate the passports of suspected oppositionists and their families. (references) | |
China | There have been credible reports that the authorities sometimes confiscate Bibles in raids on house churches. (references) | |
Economic History | China | U.S. companies have also reported some success in registering trademarks, patents and copyrights with the Customs General Administration, which can then confiscate infringing products. (references) |
Bulgaria | Other amendments to the law enable copyright owners to file civil claims to suspend the activities of pirates, confiscate equipment and pirated materials, enhance border control over pirated material, introduce a new neighboring right for film producers, and harmonize Bulgarian legislation with the Association Agreement with the European Union. (references) | |
Human Rights | Malaysia | Police also may confiscate evidence under these acts. (references) |
Political Economy | NIGERIA | The Nigerian Customs Service will confiscate goods arriving without an IDR. (references) |
Trade | Yemen | Often, customs officials arbitrarily confiscate souvenirs at the airport without compensation. (references) |
Women | Namibia | Traditional practices that permit family members to confiscate the property of deceased men from their widows and children still existed; however, the frequency of such cases lessened considerably during the year. (references) |
Worker Rights | Singapore | Employers may confiscate their passports, limiting opportunities to leave. (references) |
Hungary | Traffickers often confiscate identification documents, and severely restricted the freedom of movement of victims. (references) | |
Brazil | The failure to prosecute perpetrators and to confiscate lands on which forced labor is practiced has led to a sense of impunity by estate owners. (references) | |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | FRANKALMOIGNE, n. The tenure by which a religious corporation holds lands on condition of praying for the soul of the donor. In mediaeval times many of the wealthiest fraternities obtained their estates in this simple and cheap manner, and once when Henry VIII of England sent an officer to confiscate certain vast possessions which a fraternity of monks held by frankalmoigne, "What!" said the Prior, "would you master stay our benefactor's soul in Purgatory?" "Ay," said the officer, coldly, "an ye will not pray him thence for naught he must e'en roast." "But look you, my son," persisted the good man, "this act hath rank as robbery of God!" "Nay, nay, good father, my master the king doth but deliver him from the manifold temptations of too great wealth." |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "Confiscate" is generally used as a lexical verb (infinitive) -- approximately 80.95% of the time. "Confiscate" is used about 42 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Lexical Verb (infinitive) | 80.95% | 34 | 59,261 |
| Lexical Verb (base form) | 9.52% | 4 | 175,879 |
| Noun (singular) | 9.52% | 4 | 175,879 |
| Total | 100.00% | 42 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
confiscate | 10 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "confiscate"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Albanian | konfiskoj (embargo, escheat, expropriate, impound, seize). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arabic | محروم من ممتلكاته بالمصادرة, صادر الممتلكات. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bulgarian | конфискувам (arrest, condemn, escheat, impound, seize, sequester, sequestrate). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chinese | '" , 没" (Confiscated, Confiscating, Confiscation, forfeiture). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Czech | zabrat (annex, be effective, commandeer, grip, impound, occupy, requisition, take, take in, take on, take up), zabavit (impound, requisition, seize, sequester, sequestrate), konfiskovat (impound). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Danish | konfiskere, beslaglægge (attach). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dutch | verbeurd verklaren, in beslag nemen (absorb, fill, occupy, take, take up), confisqueren. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Esperanto | konfiski. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Faeroese | leggja hald á. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Farsi | مصادره کردن (Sequester), توقیف کردن (Apprehend, Arrest, Book, Detain, Grab, Impound, Intern, Seize, Sequester, Suppress), ضبطکردن (Appropriate, Attach, Impound, Record, Tape, Trace). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Finnish | ottaa takavarikkoon (seize). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
French | confisquer (condemn, conscript). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
German | konfiszieren, beschlagnahmen (appropriate, engross, hog, impound, levy, monopolize, requisition, seize, seizures, sequestrate, to confiscate, to engross, to impound). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Greek | κατάσχω (attach, foreclose, forfeit, garnishee, impound, seize, sequester, sequestrate), δημεύω. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hebrew | לעקול (attach, foreclose, seize), ל"פקיע רכוש (commandeer, expropriate, sequester). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hungarian | lefoglal (attach, distrain, engage, foreclose, impound, make advances to, sequester, taken, to arrest, to book a seat, to confiscate, to distress, to embargo, to engross, to impound, to keep sy busy, to levy, to prise, to reserve, to seize, to sequester, to sequestrate, to take, took), elkoboz (intercept, seize, sequestrate, to confiscate, to embargo, to intercept, to levy, to prise, to seize, to sequester, to sequestrate, to suppress). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Indonesian | menyita (alienate, distrain, forfeit). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Italian | confiscare (disendow, engross, impound, seize, sequester). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Kanji | 没収 (confiscation). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Katakana | めしあ'る (to call out, to confiscate, to forfeit), とりあ'る (to accept, to adopt, to confiscate, to deprive, to disqualify, to listen to, to pick up, to take up). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Manx | co-ooley (confiscation). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Papiamen | konfiská. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pig Latin | onfiscatecay confiscar (condemn, convert, embargo, escheat, forfeit, impound, seize, sequester, sequestrate). (various references) confisca (condemn, seize, sequester), lua (acquire, assume, assume a name, book, bring, catch, clasp, clear away, conquer, contact, contract, draw, extract, finger, form, get, have, hire, interpret, jerk off, keep off, lay hands on, lay hold of, load, Mount, nim, pick, pick up, pocket, pouch, receive, snatch, start, take). (various references) конфисковать (condemn, impound, seize, sequester, sequestrate). (various references) zapleniti (capture, loot, prise, prize, seize, sequester), konfiskovati (commandeer, escheat, sequestrate). (various references) confiscar (impound), embargar (attach, distrain upon, embargo, impede, impound, seize, sequester, sequestrate). (various references) konfiskera (condemn, embargo, impound), beslagta (impound, levy, press into service, seize, sequester, sequestrate). (various references) kanunen el koymak, kamulaştırmak (condemn, dispossess, expropriate, impress, nationalize, sequestrate, socialize), istimlak etmek (condemn, expropriate), haczetmek (attach, distrain, distrain on, distrain up, distress, garnish, garnishee, impound, levy, seise, sequester, sequestrate, vest). (various references) реквізувати (commandeer, embargo, press, requisition), реквізований, конфіскувати (condemn, embargo, expropriate, seize, sequestrate), конфіскований (confiscated, forfeit), позбавлений майна. (various references) atafaelu (attach, distrain), atafael (distraint). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | addixistis, occupo, publica, publico. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "confiscate": confiscated, confiscates. (additional references) | |
| |
"Confiscate" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: confiscat, consficate. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "confiscate" (pronounced kÄ"nfuskā't) |
| 6 | -f u s k ā' t | obfuscate. |
| 4 | -s k ā' t | cheapskate. |
| 3 | -k ā' t | abdicate, adjudicate, allocate, aluminosilicate, authenticate, bifurcate, communicate, complicate, dedicate, deprecate, domesticate, educate, equivocate, eradicate, excommunicate, extricate, fabricate, implicate, inculcate, indicate, intoxicate, locate, lubricate, medicate, misallocate, pontificate, predicate, prefabricate, prognosticate, reciprocate, rededicate, reeducate, replicate, sophisticate, suffocate, truncate. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-c-c-e-f-i-n-o-s-t" | |
-2 letters: acetonic, aconites, canoeist, cocaines, coenacts, conceits, confects, cosecant, factions, fanciest, sonicate. | |
-3 letters: accents, acetins, acinose, aconite, actions, ascetic, atonics, atonies, cations, cineast, cocaine, cocains, coenact, conceit, concise, confect, confits, faction, fainest, fancies, fascine, fiances, infects, notices, oceanic, octanes, section. | |
-4 letters: accent, accost, acetic, acetin, actins, action, aeonic, antics, ascent, atones, atonic, canoes, cantic. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-c-c-e-f-i-n-o-s-t" | |
+1 letter: confiscated, confiscates. | |
+3 letters: confiscatable, specification. | |
+4 letters: acetifications, certifications, rectifications, specifications. | |
+5 letters: confectionaries, recodifications. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Quotations: Non-fiction 7. Usage Frequency 8. Expressions: Internet | 9. Translations: Modern 10. Translations: Ancient 11. Derivations 12. Rhymes | 13. Anagrams 14. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
