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

Such painstaking puzzle work paves the way for the repatriation of Russian soldiers to their homeland. —Dominique Soguel, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 May 2024

This most recent repatriation of artwork comes as many museums in the U.S. and Europe reckon with collections that contain objects looted from Asia, Africa and other places during centuries of colonialism or in times of upheaval. —Jerry Harmer, Fortune Asia, 22 May 2024

Across the two-decade history of the detention center in Cuba, about 750 detainees have been transferred through repatriation or resettlement, mostly in secret military operations. —Carol Rosenberg, New York Times, 21 May 2024

However, morticians may be able to use other embalming methods to meet the requirements, said Andrew Dowell, a mortician at Lilly & Zeiler Funeral Home in Baltimore, which handles one to two repatriations each month. —Maya Lora, Baltimore Sun, 2 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1592, in the meaning defined above