What does confiscate mean?
Word: Confiscate
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Confiscate means to take something away from a person officially, often as a penalty.
Synonyms: take away
How do you spell confiscate?
Syllables: con - fis - cate
Tricky part: An s and a c come as a pair before the last vowel, and pupils either drop the c (confisate) or swap it for a k (confiskate).
Watch out for: confisate, confiskate
Memory tip: Before a teacher can confiscate your comic she must See it and Catch you reading it: s comes first, then c.
Confiscate in a sentence
Example 1: The PE teacher will confiscate any chewing gum he finds on the field.
Example 2: Mum confiscated my tablet until my homework was done.
Example 3: Our warden confiscates torches after lights-out at camp.
Fun Fact
The word goes back to a Latin word for a money chest or public treasury, so to confiscate something first meant to hand it over to the state.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Fill in the three missing letters to complete the word:
c_nf_sc_te
a) o, e, a
b) o, i, a
c) a, i, a
d) o, i, e
Show answer
b) o, i, a. Con- opens the word, the middle vowel is an i and the verb closes in -ate.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word confiscate as used in the sentence:
The examiner may confiscate any calculator brought into the hall.
a) withhold
b) seize
c) return
d) remove
Show answer
c) return. To return something is to give it back; seize, remove and withhold all keep it out of the owner's hands.
Mingle-Mangle
Rearrange the jumbled letters in the sentence to form the right word:
The librarian may ontsicecfa any magazine that is read during the silent hour.
a) complicate
b) confiscate
c) consolidate
d) concentrate
Show answer
b) confiscate. An f is among the letters, and none of the other three has one.
Spell-o-Spell
Spot the misspelt word in the list and choose its meaning.
1. supervise 2. reprimand 3. confiscate 4. prohibbit
a) to forbid something by rule
b) to watch over people and their work
c) to remove something from someone by right of authority
d) to tell someone officially that they have done wrong
Show answer
a) to forbid something by rule. Prohibit has just one b.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A teacher confiscates a phone during class. What usually happens next?
a) its owner is asked to sell it
b) its owner gets it back later on
c) its owner receives a newer model
d) its owner must repair it first
Show answer
b) its owner gets it back later on
2. At an airport in Australia, officers may confiscate fresh fruit from travellers in order to ____.
a) raise the price of fruit in shops
b) give the fruit to the local zoos
c) keep harmful insects out of the country
d) make the bags lighter for the flight
Show answer
c) keep harmful insects out of the country
