kumpiska
kumpíska with stress marks
confiscate
Usage Note
Kumpiska is from Spanish confiscar and means to seize or take away property by authority, appearing in legal, school, and law-enforcement contexts. The scenario of a teacher confiscating a student's phone — kinumpiska ng guro — is one of the most familiar uses of this verb in everyday Filipino life.
Examples
" Kinumpiska ng guro ang telepono. "
Natural Translation
The teacher confiscated the phone.
Literal Translation
Confiscated by-the teacher the phone.
" Isang mabilis na kumpiska ang nangyari sa kalsada. "
Natural Translation
A quick confiscation happened on the street.
Literal Translation
One fast that confiscate the happened on street.
" Kinumpiska ng mga pulis ang ipinuslit na paninda dahil walang maipakitang resibo ang nagtitinda nito. "
Natural Translation
The police confiscated the smuggled goods because the seller could not show any receipt.
Literal Translation
Confiscated by-the police the smuggled goods because none could-show receipt the seller of-it.
Take Tagalog with you
The full course, a 12,500-word dictionary, and flashcards that make every word stick — free to start on iOS and Android.
Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.
How Tagalog words workDerived Words
Actor Focus Verbs
Object Focus Verbs
Related Words
Explore Tagalog by topic
Free guides on grammar, vocabulary, and culture to take you past single-word lookups.
Filipino Food: 12 Essential Dishes (With Tagalog Names)
Filipino food, from adobo to halo-halo: learn the Tagalog names, pronunciations, and ingredients behind 12 dishes you'll want to try on your first trip.
Tagalog Greetings: How to Say Hello, Goodbye & Po/Opo
Master Tagalog greetings with pronunciation: kumusta, magandang umaga, po and opo polite forms, time-of-day phrases, and the mano po tradition.
Languages of the Philippines: Tagalog, Cebuano, and More
Languages of the Philippines: one national language (Filipino) plus 180+ regional languages. Here's who speaks what, where, and why it matters to you.
Filipino Family Words and Honorifics: Ate, Kuya & Tita
Filipino family words like ate, kuya, tita, tito, lolo, and lola go far beyond family — learn how Filipinos use them with strangers, plus mano po etiquette.