appoint

verb

ap·​point ə-ˈpȯint 

appointed; appointing; appoints

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

… appointed the rooms with a curated selection of art and furniture …

—Houston Chronicle

a beautifully appointed room

intransitive verb

: to exercise a power of appointment

Synonyms of appoint

• set
• choose
• designate
• select
• pick
• arrange

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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 on the Web

Cook, appointed by then-President Joe Biden and the first female Black governor to serve on the Board, has denied any wrongdoing. —Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026

While the attorney general may appoint an interim prosecutor for 120 days, federal judges are empowered to select a replacement once that period expires. —Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 21 Jan. 2026

Ten years on, she was appointed VP of Ground Operations at Paris-CDG and later became Executive VP for Customer in 2017, overseeing major upgrades to airport lounges and aircraft cabin layouts. —Maggie McGrath, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026

Christie was later made a dame commander of the British Empire; Heyer never received any awards, but her husband was appointed Queen’s Counsel. —Literary Hub, 21 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1c

Rhymes for appoint

• adjoint
• anoint
• checkpoint
• conjoint
• disjoint
• endpoint
• gunpoint
• midpoint
• nonpoint
• pinpoint
• standpoint
• viewpoint

Kids Definition

appoint

verb

ap·​point ə-ˈpȯint 

1

: to decide on usually from a position of authority

the teacher appointed a time for our meeting

2

: to choose for some job or offices

I was appointed to wash the dishes

the school board appointed three new teachers

the president appoints a cabinet

Legal Definition

appoint

transitive verb

ap·​point ə-ˈpȯint 

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

ə-ˈpȯin-tiv 

adjective

appointment noun