repatriate
C1Formal and technical (legal, financial, humanitarian)
Definition
Meaning
to return someone or something to their own country or place of origin
1. To return a deceased person's remains to their homeland. 2. In finance: to bring back capital or profits earned abroad to the home country. 3. To restore someone to legal or citizenship status in their original country.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The word inherently involves a movement back to a point of origin, implying a previous departure or removal. It often carries bureaucratic, legal, or official connotations.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning or spelling. Usage is identical across both variants.
Connotations
Neutral in both, though the context (refugee, financial, mortal remains) dictates emotional weight.
Frequency
Similar frequency in both varieties, slightly higher in UK media due to historical colonial and Commonwealth contexts.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[SVO] The government repatriated the refugees.[SVOO] They repatriated him his assets.[SVOA] They repatriated the prisoners to their home country.Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “No common idioms directly with 'repatriate'. Related concept: 'Bring the boys home'.”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
The multinational chose to repatriate its overseas earnings following the tax amnesty.
Academic
The study examines the policy challenges of seeking to repatriate indigenous cultural artefacts.
Everyday
After working abroad for years, they decided to repatriate and settle back home.
Technical
Under international law, states are obliged to repatriate prisoners of war after conflict ends.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The charity helped repatriate the crash victims' remains.
- The Chancellor discussed plans to repatriate powers from Brussels.
American English
- The company will repatriate billions in foreign profits this quarter.
- The government is working to repatriate citizens stranded in the crisis zone.
adverb
British English
- The bodies were returned repatriately, with full honours. (Rare/Formal)
American English
- The assets were transferred repatriately to avoid penalties. (Rare/Formal)
adjective
British English
- The repatriated funds were subject to new taxation.
- She received repatriated artwork from the museum.
American English
- Repatriated earnings boosted the company's balance sheet.
- The repatriated soldiers were greeted as heroes.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- They want to repatriate to their own country.
- After the war, the government helped to repatriate the refugees.
- The museum faced pressure to repatriate the antiquities to their country of origin.
- The new tax legislation incentivises corporations to repatriate overseas capital, which could significantly impact the domestic economy.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: RE-PATRIATE. RE (again/back) + PATRIATE (related to 'patria' meaning fatherland/country). So, to send back to the fatherland.
Conceptual Metaphor
RETURN IS A JOURNEY BACK TO THE SOURCE (The capital was repatriated, making its way home).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid confusing with 'репатриировать' which is a direct cognate and correct, but less common in casual speech. A trap is to use 'возвращать на родину' as a more natural phrase. Do not confuse with 'репатриировать' (finance) vs. 'депортировать' (forcibly send back).
Common Mistakes
- Using it for inanimate objects without the 'to origin' sense (e.g., 'I repatriated the library book' is wrong).
- Confusing 'repatriate' (to home country) with 'extradite' (to another country for trial).
- Misspelling as 'repariate' or 'repatriait'.
Practice
Quiz
In a financial context, what does it mean to 'repatriate' funds?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is commonly used for people (refugees, citizens), but also for capital, profits, cultural property, and human remains.
'Repatriate' is generally neutral or positive, meaning to return someone to their homeland. 'Deport' is negative and forcible, meaning to expel someone from a country, not necessarily to their homeland.
Yes, though less common. A 'repatriate' is a person who has been repatriated (e.g., 'a repatriate from the conflict zone').
'Repatriation' is the standard noun form for the process or act. The person can be called a 'repatriate'.