From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishconfiscatecon‧fis‧cate /ˈkɒnfəskeɪt $ ˈkɑːn-/ ●○○ verb [transitive] TAKE something FROM somebodyto officially take private property away from someone, usually as a punishment Miss Williams confiscated all our sweets. Many opposition supporters had their goods confiscated. —confiscation /ˌkɒnfəˈskeɪʃən $ ˌkɑːn-/ noun [countable, uncountable] the confiscation of pornographic material→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
confiscate• Advertisers luring people into heavier and heavier reliance on cleansing products would be prosecuted and their bank accounts confiscated.• Later the law was amended so that profits from such activities could be confiscated.• We could equip them with two-way radios, but they would be confiscated at road checks.• The box was confiscated by the governing body's technical department to undergo investigation this week.• The authorities will confiscate firearms found on a boat or plane if the owner cannot show proof of US licensing.• The group claims that billions of dollars in property and bank accounts was confiscated from Jewish businessmen in the Second World War.• Your vehicle can be confiscated if you are transporting marijuana.• An increasing number of guns have been confiscated in schools recently.• I wondered if I should have confiscated the duplicate licenses while I had the chance.• If it is confiscated the next day, a note will be left behind with information on where the items are.• The county has a long-standing policy of reselling confiscated weapons.From Longman Business Dictionaryconfiscatecon‧fis‧cate /ˈkɒnfəskeɪtˈkɑːn-/ verb [transitive] LAWto officially take private property away from someone, for example because a crime has been committedThe state can confiscate criminals’ profits from books or movies describing their crimes. —confiscation noun [uncountable]A judge ordered the confiscation of the smuggler’s £1.5 million assets.→ See Verb tableOrigin confiscate (1500-1600) Latin past participle of confiscare, from com- ( → COM-) + fiscus ( → FISCAL) 