repatriate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to bring or send back (a person, especially a prisoner of war, a refugee, etc.) to their country or land of citizenship.
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to send (profits or other assets) back to one's own country.
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to restore to a country that has attained sovereignty something that was formerly held or administered on that country’s behalf by a colonial power.
In 1982, the Trudeau government repatriated Canada's constitution from Britain.
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
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to send back (a refugee, prisoner of war, etc) to the country of his birth or citizenship
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to send back (a sum of money previously invested abroad) to its country of origin
noun
Other Word Forms
- nonrepatriable adjective
- repatriable adjective
- repatriation noun
- unrepatriated adjective
Etymology
Origin of repatriate
First recorded in 1605–15; from Late Latin repatriātus (past participle of repatriāre “to return to one's fatherland”), equivalent to Latin re- “again, back” + patri(a) “native country” (noun use of feminine of patrius “paternal,” derivative of pater “father”) + -ātus past participle suffix; re-, father, -ate 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He was later repatriated to the UK, where he died in October.
From BBC
Growing numbers of museums and private collections worldwide are facing pressure to repatriate artworks removed from their native countries, particularly those looted during periods of colonial rule.
From Barron's
South Africa on Thursday said that two of its citizens had been killed in Ukraine, while another 15 had been repatriated over the past week.
From BBC
The Kurds had repeatedly urged countries to take back their citizens but most only repatriated a trickle, fearing security threats and a domestic political backlash.
From Barron's
Canada, Australia and elsewhere were also showing better balance, and that overall improvement may be driving dollar weakness, as global investors look to repatriate their U.S. dollars elsewhere.
From MarketWatch
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
