confiscate
v.v. to officially take something away from someone, often as a punishment or because it is illegal. This is usually done by someone in authority, like a police officer or a school principal.
v. to seize private property by an authority, typically as a legal penalty or because the item is forbidden. The action is official and implies that the right to the property has been forfeited.
The teacher will confiscate your phone.
Customs officials can confiscate any undeclared goods they find in your luggage.
Under the new legislation, the state has the power to confiscate assets acquired through criminal activities, even before a conviction is secured.
From Latin cōnfiscātus, past participle of cōnfiscō, “to seize for the public treasury”, the treasury in question being the fiscus, Imperial Rome’s money-chest.
The verb is transitive and takes a direct object (the item seized). The preposition 'from' is often used to introduce the person whose property is taken.