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confiscar

to confiscate

verb kon-fees-KAHR Rare
People & Society Law

Origin: From Latin confiscare (to seize for the treasury).

Also means

to seize

Usage Note

Confiscar follows the -car spelling-change rule: the c becomes qu before e (confisqué, confisque). It implies seizure without (or despite) ownership rights, often by authorities. Compare expropiar, which involves legal compensation to the owner; confiscation typically does not.

Examples

"La policía confiscó los documentos."

Natural Translation

The police confiscated the documents.

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