verb
- to take property or land from an owner, especially by government authority, usually for public use or benefit
Usage: often used in legal and political contexts; typically implies compensation, though the amount may be disputed
Examples
- The government expropriates private land to build a new highway.
- The city expropriates the abandoned building for urban development.
- Colonial powers often expropriated indigenous lands without fair compensation.
- The state expropriates property deemed necessary for public welfare.
- Farmers worry the new law will allow authorities to expropriate their fields.
- The regime expropriates businesses owned by political opponents.