expropriate
Definitions
(Of a state or authority) to take away private property, especially for public use.
征用，没收（私人财产）
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedex- (away) + propri (one's own) + -ate = 'take away what is one's own.' The mirror of appropriate: appropriate pulls something toward yourself, expropriate strips ownership away from another — typically a government seizing private land.
Root prop still carries 10 more wordsWhy It Means This
Built from the same root as property and appropriate, but with ex- (away) it does the opposite of acquiring: it removes ownership from someone. It is a formal, legal/political word, almost always used of governments expropriating land or assets from private owners, with or without compensation.
Common Collocations
- 1.expropriate land征用土地
- 2.expropriate property没收财产
- 3.expropriate assets没收资产
- 4.expropriate without compensation无补偿征用
Example Sentences
- 1.
The government threatened to expropriate land from absentee owners.
- 2.
Their farms were expropriated without any compensation.
- 3.
Foreign investors feared the state might expropriate their assets.
Easily Confused
expropriate vs appropriate — Same root, opposite direction. ex- = away: expropriate takes ownership away from someone (the state expropriated his land). ad- (ap-) = toward: appropriate takes something for yourself (he appropriated the funds). One strips, one grabs.