confiscare
/kon.fisˈka.re/
The English verb 'confiscate' is translated into Italian as confiscare.
confiscare is used in contexts involving the legal or official seizure of property, such as actions performed by customs officers or the police. While it is the most common translation for 'confiscate', other Italian verbs are used depending on the specific situation: sequestrare is often used in legal contexts like the seizure of illicit goods or property, espropriare is used when confiscation involves taking property for public use and togliere is used when the action simply involves taking something away from someone.
Meaning: take possession of by authority (verb)
Which one should you use?
While the English 'confiscate' can sometimes be used in a loose sense, in Italian confiscare implies that a formal or legal authority is performing the action.
How does it change in a sentence?
confiscare is a regular second-conjugation verb ending in -are. Its past participle is confiscato.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /kon.fisˈka.re/. The word has 4 syllables and the stress is on the 3rd syllable.
Did you know?
- The root of confiscare involves the Latin 'fiscus', which originally referred to a 'woven basket' used to hold money.
- If you use confiscare in a casual conversation about a friend taking your sandwich, it will sound intentionally dramatic or even humorous because it is so formal.
- While confiscare is legal, Italians often use the verb sequestrare for police seizures. This word is the root of the English 'sequester', but in Italian it specifically refers to the legal act of freezing or seizing assets.
Examples in context
- Dovrò confiscare il tuo coltello.I'll have to confiscate your knife.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use confiscare when expressing the need to take an object.Tatoeba #4949501 by Guybrush88, translation #2540164 by CK
- Il governo ha confiscato i beni del criminale.The government has confiscated the criminal's assets.
- La polizia ha sequestrato la droga.The police have confiscated the drugs.
- Il governo ha espropriato il terreno per costruire una nuova strada.The government has confiscated the land to build a new road.
- La polizia può confiscare la merce illegale.The police can confiscate illegal goods.
- Lo Stato può confiscare i beni dei criminali.The State can confiscate the assets of criminals.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A teacher is talking to a student in class.
- AlessandroChiara, non usare il telefono in classe.Chiara, do not use the phone in class.
- ChiaraScusa, stavo solo controllando l'ora.Sorry, I was just checking the time.
- AlessandroSe succede ancora, dovrò confiscare il telefono.If it happens again, I will have to confiscate the phone.
- ChiaraVa bene, Alessandro, non lo farò più.Alright, Alessandro, I won't do it anymore.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “confiscate” translations and entries confiscare, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
