confiscate
KON-fuh-skaytverbMeaning to take something away by authority
Memory hook CON-FISH-CATE: the CAT loses the FISH. The fish seller catches the cat with a stolen fish and, as boss of the stall, takes it right back and locks it in the cooler; he confiscates it.
The teacher confiscated the phones and kept them in a drawer until the end of class.
In context At the border, officers confiscated the fruit from every traveler’s bag, since bringing it into the country could spread plant pests.
Similar seize, take away, impound, take
Opposite return, give back, restore
From Latin confiscare, “to put into the treasury”: com- (together) + fiscus (basket, treasury).