tr.v. con·fis·cat·ed, con·fis·cat·ing, con·fis·cates 1. To seize (private property) for the public treasury, especially as a penalty for wrongdoing. 2. To seize by authority: The teacher confiscated all the comic books we had in class. See Synonyms at appropriate. adj. (kŏnfĭ-skāt′, kən-fĭskət) 1. Seized by a government; appropriated. 2. Having lost property through confiscation. [Latin cōnfiscāre, cōnfiscāt : com-, com- + fiscus, treasury.] con′fis·cation n. confis·ca′tor n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.