MEANING
To take property from its owner, especially by public authority or for public use, often without consent.
Use it for
A state or authority takes property from its owner.Describe an authority taking property from its owners, with or without compensation.
Words that belong together
- expropriate land
- expropriate private property
- expropriate assets
On the page
The new regime expropriated the estate and reassigned its fields.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Word forms
- Base
- expropriate
- Past tense
- expropriated
- Past participle
- expropriated
- Present participle
- expropriating
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- expropriate
- Present continuous
- am/is/are expropriating
- Present perfect
- have/has expropriated
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been expropriating
- Past
- expropriated
- Past continuous
- was/were expropriating
- Past perfect
- had expropriated
- Past perfect continuous
- had been expropriating
- Future
- will expropriate
- Future continuous
- will be expropriating
- Future perfect
- will have expropriated
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been expropriating
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Common in legal, political, and economic contexts; it is more specific than borrowing or purchasing property.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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