misappropriate
verb
mis·ap·pro·pri·ate
ˌmi-sə-ˈprō-prē-ˌāt 
misappropriated; misappropriating; misappropriates
: to appropriate wrongly (as by theft or embezzlement)
Synonyms
Examples of misappropriate in a Sentence
They accused him of misappropriating town funds.
a financial manager misappropriating funds from her clients' accounts
Recent Examples on the Web
They were accused of misappropriating $10 billion in customer deposits and with generating false financial statements.
—
Vinamrata Chaturvedi, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2024
Once a financial advisor to NFL football players, Blazer had been caught in a fraudulent ploy to misappropriate more than $2M from his clients to fund his hapless forays into the entertainment industry, including financing an instantly forgettable film called Mafia.
—Guy Lawson, Rolling Stone, 24 Mar. 2024
Aside from linebacker Matt Judon, Belichick has also misappropriated tens of millions in free agency commitments since Brady’s departure – the Patriots arguably their division’s least-talented team the past two seasons.
—Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2024
Avenatti ultimately went to jail for bank fraud and misappropriating client funds.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 9 Mar. 2024
Although the company has not gone into any more detail about the results of its investigation, the Wall Street Journal has reported that the millions of dollars McMahon misappropriated from company’s coffers were used for hush money to cover up affairs with multiple former employees.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN, 29 Jan. 2024
Two former staffers who worked for ex-House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, face embezzlement and other criminal charges on accusations of misappropriating funds from multiple entities, including social welfare nonprofits and campaign committees.
—Detroit Free Press, 21 Feb. 2024
An accounting firm hired by Epik to conduct a forensic investigation alleged that Monster had misappropriated more than $3.5 million, according to an internal preliminary report obtained by WIRED.
—William Turton, WIRED, 8 Feb. 2024
Shortly after a Broward court said a Fort Lauderdale lawyer owed a former client $234,000, a Florida Bar audit said that attorney misappropriated $452,000 from another client’s estate.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 1 Feb. 2024
Vinamrata Chaturvedi, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2024
Once a financial advisor to NFL football players, Blazer had been caught in a fraudulent ploy to misappropriate more than $2M from his clients to fund his hapless forays into the entertainment industry, including financing an instantly forgettable film called Mafia.
—Guy Lawson, Rolling Stone, 24 Mar. 2024
Aside from linebacker Matt Judon, Belichick has also misappropriated tens of millions in free agency commitments since Brady’s departure – the Patriots arguably their division’s least-talented team the past two seasons.
—Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2024
Avenatti ultimately went to jail for bank fraud and misappropriating client funds.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 9 Mar. 2024
Although the company has not gone into any more detail about the results of its investigation, the Wall Street Journal has reported that the millions of dollars McMahon misappropriated from company’s coffers were used for hush money to cover up affairs with multiple former employees.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN, 29 Jan. 2024
Two former staffers who worked for ex-House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, face embezzlement and other criminal charges on accusations of misappropriating funds from multiple entities, including social welfare nonprofits and campaign committees.
—Detroit Free Press, 21 Feb. 2024
An accounting firm hired by Epik to conduct a forensic investigation alleged that Monster had misappropriated more than $3.5 million, according to an internal preliminary report obtained by WIRED.
—William Turton, WIRED, 8 Feb. 2024
Shortly after a Broward court said a Fort Lauderdale lawyer owed a former client $234,000, a Florida Bar audit said that attorney misappropriated $452,000 from another client’s estate.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 1 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'misappropriate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near misappropriate
Cite this Entry
“Misappropriate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misappropriate. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
misappropriate
verb
mis·ap·pro·pri·ate
ˌmis-ə-ˈprō-prē-ˌāt
: to appropriate wrongly
especially
: to take dishonestly for one's own use
Legal Definition
misappropriate
transitive verb
mis·ap·pro·pri·ate
ˌmi-sə-ˈprō-prē-ˌāt
: to appropriate wrongfully or unlawfully (as by theft or embezzlement)
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