repatriation

noun

re·​pa·​tri·​a·​tion (ˌ)rē-ˌpā-trē-ˈā-shən 

-ˌpa-

plural repatriations

: the act or process of restoring or returning someone or something to the country of origin, allegiance, or citizenship : the act of repatriating or the state of being repatriated

While officials privately acknowledge there is scant legal basis for repatriation, their public statements suggest that they would use lawsuits, diplomatic pressure and shame to bring home looted objects—not unlike Italy, Greece and Egypt, which have sought, with some success, to recover antiquities in European and American museums.

—Andrew Jacobs

They say they have that right under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, which requires that human remains and artifacts be returned to Indian tribes that can show a cultural link.

—Timothy Egan

This left him an illegal immigrant in Hong Kong, subject to arrest and repatriation at any time.

—Nicholas D. Kristof

Examples of repatriation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Prolonged elevated yields are raising questions on whether higher JGB yields will impact domestic appetite to invest abroad, while also sparking a repatriation of capital. —Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025

Upon entering the Native North America Gallery, guests will encounter an empty case—recognizing repatriation and honoring Native views about which items are appropriate for display in museums—an essential point of discussion for the Indigenous consulting curators. —Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025

Our reporting resulted in new federal rules that went into effect last year that are aimed at speeding repatriations of Native American remains. —Vianna Davila, ProPublica, 2 Sep. 2025

Eswatini's government stated the men would be held in solitary confinement pending repatriation, which officials later suggested could take up to a year. —Billal Rahman gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1592, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for repatriation

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration