ekˈsprōprēˌāt, ik-, usu -ād.+V transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Medieval Latin expropriatus, past participle of expropriare, from Latin ex- ex- (I) + propriare to appropriate, from proprius own — more at proper
1. : to deprive of possession or proprietary rights — used especially of the action of a state; see expropriation
2. : to take (something) out of the possession of another : transfer (the property of another) to one's own possession
the landowners expropriated the countryside, but they developed it — Roy Lewis & Angus Maude
they have also expropriated another cherished word from the lexicon of western European peoples — R.G.Cowherd
— used especially of the action of a state
promulgate laws which tended to expropriate Jewish possessions — Collier's Year Book
the government had expropriated nearly 68,000 hectares of privately owned property — Americana Annual