appoint

verb

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

designate, fix, name, set

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

The committee that produced the report was made up of 17 members appointed by Ball. — Erin B. Logan, baltimoresun.com, "Committee recommends creating organization to revitalize economy of flood-prone Ellicott City," 18 June 2019 Sutton was joined by Judge John Rogers, another Bush appointee, and Judge Chad Readler, appointed by President Donald Trump. — Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, "Prisoner was barred from group worship on some Wiccan holidays. Court says he can sue.," 17 June 2019 In 2011, the state borrowed $38 million to buy the land and transferred it to a seven-member commission appointed by the governor, with the input of the speaker of the House of Representatives and the mayor. — Dan Mcgowan, BostonGlobe.com, "Building in Providence: a tale of bureaucratic headaches and too many delays," 17 June 2019 Due to poor finances, Flint was being run by financial managers appointed by the governor. — CBS News, "Charges dropped against 8 people in Flint water scandal," 13 June 2019 The state superintendent and chancellor would be on the board with three other members appointed by the governor. — Patrick O'donnell, cleveland.com, "New state “takeover” plan would start intervention early for schools with F grades," 12 June 2019 Unlike police chiefs appointed by mayors and beholden to city councils, sheriffs answer to no one but the voters who elect them. — Connor Sheets, ProPublica, "Wasted Funds, Destroyed Property: How Sheriffs Undermined Their Successors After Losing Reelection," 12 June 2019 That on its own is already a problem for critics, as the city’s leader isn’t elected, but rather is picked by a committee appointed by the government in Beijing. — Alex Ward, Vox, "What Hong Kong’s massive protests are really about," 11 June 2019 But in an April 18 opinion, the Supreme Court — with three of its seven members newly appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis — ruled that state election law prevents counties from deciding to hold nonpartisan elections. — Anthony Man, sun-sentinel.com, "It’s back to Democrats vs. Republicans as nonpartisan elections end for key Palm Beach County officials, including the sheriff," 10 June 2019

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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Dictionary Entries near appoint

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Last Updated

21 Jun 2019

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Time Traveler for appoint

The first known use of appoint was in the 14th century

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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

Other Words from appoint

appointive \ ə-ˈpȯin-tiv

\ adjective

appointment noun

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