con ‧ fis ‧ cate /ˈkɒnfəskeɪt, ˈkɒnfɪskeɪt $ ˈkɑːn-/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: past participle of confiscare , from com- ( ⇨ COM- ) + fiscus ( , ↑ fiscal ) ]
to 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 /ˌkɒnfəˈskeɪʃ ə n, ˌkɒnfɪˈskeɪʃ ə n $ ˌkɑːn-/ noun [uncountable and countable] :
the confiscation of pornographic material