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

The POWs were sent elsewhere for repatriation in 1946. —Chris Foran, Journal Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2024

This concise film provides no one perspective on repatriation, no singular prescriptive for how best to contend with the issues broached by the students shown on screen. —Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 24 Oct. 2024

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has returned another ancient Greek drinking vessel to Italian officials overseeing the countries’ repatriation efforts after finding the artifact was likely looted from its origin site. —Angelica Villa, ARTnews.com, 15 Oct. 2024

The first repatriation took place in July 2023, when the Dutch government returned 478 objects to Indonesia and Sri Lanka. —Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1592, in the meaning defined above