appoint

play

verb ap·point \ ə-ˈpȯint \

Definition of appoint

transitive verb

1 a :to fix or set officially

appoint a trial date

b :to name officially

will appoint her director of the program

c archaic :arrange

d law :to determine the disposition of (an estate) to someone by virtue of a power of appointment

2 :to provide with complete and usually appropriate or elegant furnishings or equipment

a beautifully appointed room

intransitive verb

:to exercise a power of appointment

See appoint defined for English-language learners

See appoint defined for kids

Examples of appoint in a Sentence

She was appointed professor of chemistry at the university.
After his parents died, the boy's uncle was appointed as his guardian.
Every year, the group appoints three new members.
a committee appointed by Congress
the company's newly appointed assistant director

Recent Examples of appoint from the Web

All three were appointed by President Bill Clinton.

— adam liptak, New York Times, "Appeals Court Appears Inclined to Exempt Relatives From Travel Ban," 28 Aug. 2017
Kander, a Democrat, said that with Trump appointing judges and Sessions running the U.S. Department of Justice, voting rights cases will become tougher to win.

— andy marso, kansascity, "Kander says court cases not enough to protect voting rights under Trump," 26 Aug. 2017
Moving up Fort Worth’s Josh Burgess has been appointed to serve as judge of the 352nd District Court in Tarrant County.

— anna m. tinsley, star-telegram, "Nearly 700 new Texas laws go into effect Sept. 1," 25 Aug. 2017
Since 1999, all the 12 appointed Senators were successful in keeping their seats upon reelection.

— leada gore, AL.com, "Can Luther Strange beat Roy Moore? Can Democrat Doug Jones? What the numbers show," 23 Aug. 2017
Howard University has appointed former FBI Director James Comey as this year’s Opening Convocation keynote speaker and the 2017-2018 Gwendolyn S. and Colbert I. King Endowed Chair in Public Policy.

— christina coleman, Essence.com, "Former FBI Director James Comey Will Deliver Howard University's Opening Convocation Keynote Speech," 23 Aug. 2017
A majority of the members are appointed by Fischer, and the rest by the governor.

— sheldon s. shafer, The Courier-Journal, "Mayor Greg Fischer opposes plan to charge for parking 5 days a week at Waterfront Park," 22 Aug. 2017
Faulconer appointed Zimmerman to take over as chief shortly after he was elected mayor in February 2014.

— david garrick, sandiegouniontribune.com, "San Diego launching national search for next police chief," 22 Aug. 2017
Thomas was appointed after a three-year search, officials said.

— gerald porter jr., Daily Southtown, "Rich Township High School Dist. 227 hires new superintendent," 15 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'appoint.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of appoint

Middle English, from Anglo-French appointer, from a- (from Latin ad-) + point point

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

appoint Synonyms

Synonyms

designate, fix, name, set

Antonyms

discharge, dismiss, expel, fire

Related Words

adopt, assign, choose, determine, establish, opt (for), pick, pin (down), prefer, select, settle, single (out), specify; arrange, coordinate, orchestrate; advertise, announce, declare, publish

Near Antonyms

blackball, depose, dethrone, displace, eject, evict, oust, overthrow, remove, throw out, uncrown, unmake, unseat

Synonym Discussion of appoint

furnish, equip, outfit, appoint, accoutre mean to supply one with what is needed. furnish implies the provision of any or all essentials for performing a function.

- a sparsely furnished apartment

equip suggests the provision of something making for efficiency in action or use.

- a fully equipped kitchen

outfit implies provision of a complete list or set of articles as for a journey, an expedition, or a special occupation.

- outfitted the family for a ski trip

appoint implies provision of complete and usually elegant or elaborate equipment or furnishings.

- a lavishly appointed apartment

accoutre suggests the supplying of personal dress or equipment for a special activity.

- fully accoutred members of a polar expedition

Other Furniture and Woodworking Terms

credenza, mission, settee

APPOINT Defined for English Language Learners

appoint

play

verb

Definition of appoint for English Language Learners

: to choose (someone) to have a particular job : to give (someone) a position or duty
: to decide or establish (something) in an official way
: to decide (the time or place at which something will happen or be done)

APPOINT Defined for Kids

appoint

play

verb ap·point \ ə-ˈpȯint \

Definition of appoint for Students

appointed; appointing

1 :to choose for some duty, job, or office

The school board appointed three new teachers.

2 :to decide on usually from a position of authority

The teacher appointed a time for our meeting.

Law Dictionary

appoint

play

transitive verb ap·point \ ə-ˈpȯint \

legal Definition of appoint

1 :to name officially to a position

appointed to the agency's top post

appointed conservator of the estate

2 :to determine the distribution of (property) by exercising the authority granted by a power of appointment

a general power to appoint the corpus of a trust
—W. M. McGovern, Jr. et al.

intransitive verb

:to exercise a power of appointment — see also power of appointment

—

appointive

play \ə-ˈpȯin-tiv\ adjective

—

appointment

noun

Learn More about appoint

See words that rhyme with appoint Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for appoint Spanish Central: Translation of appoint Nglish: Translation of appoint for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of appoint for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up appoint? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

appoint

Definition of appoint

Explore M-W

Examples of appoint in a Sentence

Recent Examples of appoint from the Web

Origin and Etymology of appoint

appoint Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of appoint

Other Furniture and Woodworking Terms

Phrases Related to APPOINT

Related Phrases

APPOINT Defined for English Language Learners

appoint

Definition of appoint for English Language Learners

APPOINT Defined for Kids

appoint

Definition of appoint for Students

Law Dictionary

appoint

legal Definition of appoint

appointive

appointment

Learn More about appoint

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

These Are Fighting Words

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Words of the Year: 1066