repatriate

verb

re·​pa·​tri·​ate (ˌ)rē-ˈpā-trē-ˌāt 

-ˈpa-

repatriated; repatriating

transitive verb

: to restore or return to the country of origin, allegiance, or citizenship

repatriate prisoners of war

repatriate

(ˌ)rē-ˈpā-trē-ət 

-trē-ˌāt

-ˈpa-

noun

Examples of repatriate in a Sentence

Countries are required to repatriate prisoners of war when conflict has ended.

Recent Examples on the Web

But in 2018 decades of diplomacy and activism culminated in Emmanuel Macron’s historic decision to repatriate the art works to Benin. —Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2024

That piece was repatriated in the aftermath of an antiquities trafficking investigation conducted by New York authorities, who have in the past years worked closely with Italy on repatriation claims. —Angelica Villa, ARTnews.com, 15 Oct. 2024

The killing has shaken the Japanese community in China, with some of Japan’s biggest companies offering to repatriate staff members and their families. —Cnn Staff, CNN, 25 Sep. 2024

Egypt’s campaign to repatriate its artifacts has led to thousands of antiquities’ being returned to the country. —Charlene Gubash, NBC News, 9 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin repatriatus, past participle of repatriare to go home again — more at repair entry 3

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

repatriate

1 of 2 verb

re·​pa·​tri·​ate

(ˈ)rē-ˈpā-trē-ˌāt,

-ˈpa-

repatriated; repatriating

: to return to the country of origin, allegiance, or citizenship

repatriate prisoners of war

repatriation

(ˌ)rē-ˌpā-trē-ˈā-shən

-ˌpa-

noun

repatriate

2 of 2 noun

re·​pa·​tri·​ate

(ˈ)rē-ˈpā-trē-ət,

-tre-ˌāt

: one that is repatriated