confiscation
n.the act of taking something away from someone, usually by an authority like the police or a school. It is often done because the item is illegal or dangerous.
n.the act of seizing or taking possession of something, typically by an authority or legal entity. Often implies a lack of consent from the owner and is frequently associated with legal or disciplinary proceedings.
“The school's confiscation of mobile phones is a strict rule.”
“The police conducted a search and the confiscation of several illegal weapons led to an immediate arrest.”
“The legal battle over the confiscation of the family's assets lasted for over a decade, as the court weighed the state's interest against the individual's property rights.”
“Settlement expansion, land confiscation and demolitions are tightening Israeli control over Palestinian land across the occupied West Bank.”
“It shows there have been 66 confiscation orders between January 2021 and March 2026, totalling £7.3m.”
From Latin cōnfiscātiō. By surface analysis, confiscate + -ion.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.