appoint

verb

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ap·point | \ ə-ˈpȯint

appointed; appointing; appoints

Definition of appoint

transitive verb

1a : 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 … — Chron.com a beautifully appointed room

intransitive verb

: to exercise a power of appointment

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Synonyms for appoint

Synonyms

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 In 1963, when the state House was tied at 20-20 for eight days and failed to appoint a temporary leader, then-Gov. — James Brooks, Anchorage Daily News, "Alaska Gov. Dunleavy plans remote State of the State speech, citing pandemic ‘complications’," 26 Jan. 2021 Seven board members — all elected — urged Alsobrooks in a letter to appoint their choice as vice chair, Edward Burroughs III, or if not, then a consensus candidate. — Washington Post, "New leaders step up as some question structure of Maryland school board," 16 Jan. 2021 Graham, Johnson call for independent investigation of Capitol riot Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and Ron Johnson on Wednesday called on Congress to appoint an independent commission to investigate the assault on the U.S. Capitol. — CBS News, "Live Updates: Trump faces Senate trial after historic second impeachment," 14 Jan. 2021 Clark noted that council plans to appoint the new at-large councilperson before the end of January. — Linda Gandee, cleveland, "Bay Village closing in on appointment for council-at-large vacancy," 11 Jan. 2021 The shortage of candidates will likely require the board to appoint a fourth member following the election, officials said. — Karen Ann Cullotta, chicagotribune.com, "Spring 2021 election in Wilmette, Winnetka promises hotly contested races," 29 Dec. 2020 At the elite level, that can mean several million dollars to pay out the contracts of an incumbent and his staff, and the commitment of millions more to appoint a suite of replacements. — New York Times, "European Soccer Learns a New Virtue: Patience," 23 Dec. 2020 The Washington Post reported on Saturday that the president pressed Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to call a state Legislature special session to override the results and appoint electors who would back the president. — Haley Victory Smith, Washington Examiner, "Pennsylvania House speaker says Trump called to talk about election law," 7 Dec. 2020 For any legislature to turn around now — solely because its party’s candidate lost and refuses to accept the result — and appoint electors in defiance of the public will would lack all legitimacy. — The Editors, National Review, "Trump’s Disgraceful Gambit," 20 Nov. 2020

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.

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Last Updated

23 Feb 2021

Cite this Entry

“Appoint.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/appoint. Accessed 1 Mar. 2021.

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More Definitions for appoint

appoint

verb

English Language Learners Definition of appoint

: 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)

See the full definition for appoint in the English Language Learners Dictionary

appoint

verb

ap·point | \ ə-ˈpȯint

appointed; appointing

Kids Definition of appoint

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.

appoint

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