incautar

to seize

verb een-kow-TAHR Rare

Also means

to confiscate

Usage Note

Incautar is predominantly used reflexively as incautarse de algo, meaning for an authority to seize or confiscate something: la policía se incautó de la droga means 'the police seized the drugs'. The non-reflexive incautar appears in journalistic passive constructions. Do not confuse with incauto (gullible, unwary), which is unrelated.

Examples

"La aduana se incautó de los paquetes."

Natural Translation

Customs seized the packages.

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