appraise

verb ap·praise \ ə-ˈprāz \

Definition of appraise

appraised; appraising

transitive verb

1 : to set a value on : to estimate the amount of

appraise the damage

2 : to evaluate the worth, significance, or status of; especially : to give an expert judgment of the value or merit of

appraise an actor's career

—

appraisee

play \ə-ˌprā-ˈzē\ noun

—

appraisement

play \-ˈprāz-mənt\ noun

—

appraiser

noun

—

appraisingly

play \-ˈprā-ziŋ-lē\ adverb

—

appraisive

play \-ˈprā-ziv\ adjective

See appraise defined for English-language learners

See appraise defined for kids

Examples of appraise in a Sentence

The ring must be appraised by a jeweler before it can be insured.
appraise the house and property
What is the property's appraised value?
In the book, he appraises Hollywood's recent films and contrasts them with several independent films.

Recent Examples of appraise from the Web

Plus, when homes are in such disrepair, often they are appraised for much less than the amount the borrower needs to fix it up.

— matthew goldstein, New York Times, "Detroit: From Motor City to Housing Incubator," 4 Nov. 2017
The Fifth Avenue store was appraised at $650 million a little more than a year ago.

— suzanne kapner, WSJ, "WeWork Venture to Buy Lord & Taylor’s New York Flagship Store for $850 Million," 24 Oct. 2017
The house, minus the furnishings and multi-million dollar art collection, was appraised recently in excess of $50 million, Rubinstein said.

— jennifer boehm, Sun-Sentinel.com, "From anywhere, owner of this $50M Hillsboro Beach home can control the entire place," 6 Oct. 2017
The stadium site’s 166 acres were appraised at $82.8 million earlier this year.

— roger showley, sandiegouniontribune.com, "SDSU hires architect for football-soccer stadium," 5 Oct. 2017
In 1998, Manning's rookie year, Forbes magazine appraised the Colts' value at $227 million, 28th in a 30-team league.

— phil richards, Indianapolis Star, "Celebrating Peyton Manning: He leaves legacy far beyond the field in Indianapolis," 29 Sep. 2017
These are the companies whose executives most accurately appraised the road ahead.

— kyle stock, Bloomberg.com, "The State of the Great American SUV Race, in Three Charts," 3 Nov. 2017
Learn the basics and logistics of conducting an estate sale, appraising items, organizing the inventory, advertising and best pricing strategies.

— Lake County News-Sun, "Calendar," 12 Oct. 2017
Their progress is appraised regularly and those who don’t pass muster find their Infosys careers abruptly ended; campus counselors spend part of their time ministering to stressed-out trainees.

— saritha rai, Bloomberg.com, "This Tech Firm Is Treating its New Recruits Like Fighter Pilots," 10 Oct. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of appraise

Middle English appraysen, probably from Anglo-French *appreiser, from a- (from Latin ad-) + preiser to prize, praise

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

appraise Synonyms

Synonyms

assess, estimate, evaluate, guesstimate, rate, set, valuate, value;

Related Words

adjudge, deem, judge;

ascertain, determine, discover, learn;

price, prize;

decide, settle;

analyze, assay, survey, test;

reappraise, reassess, reevaluate, rejudge, revalue;

misesteem, misjudge, misprize, underestimate, undervalue;

Synonym Discussion of appraise

estimate, appraise, evaluate, value, rate, assess mean to judge something with respect to its worth or significance. estimate implies a judgment, considered or casual, that precedes or takes the place of actual measuring or counting or testing out.

- estimated the crowd at two hundred

appraise commonly implies the fixing by an expert of the monetary worth of a thing, but it may be used of any critical judgment.

- having their house appraised

evaluate suggests an attempt to determine relative or intrinsic worth in terms other than monetary.

- evaluate a student's work

value equals appraise but without implying expertness of judgment.

- a watercolor valued by the donor at $500

rate adds to estimate the notion of placing a thing according to a scale of values.

- a highly rated restaurant

assess implies a critical appraisal for the purpose of understanding or interpreting, or as a guide in taking action.

- officials are trying to assess the damage

Financial Definition of APPRAISE

appraiser

noun

What It Is

An appraiser is a person capable of providing an appraisal.

How It Works

An appraisal is a document that formally describes the value of a piece of property, usually exceeding $5,000. For example, let’s imagine that John Doe wants to donate a painting to his favorite charity. He believes the painting is worth $20,000. Instead of simply putting a $20,000 deduction on his tax return for the year, John Doe hires an appraiser to determine how much the painting is worth. A qualified appraiser provides an independent estimate, putting the value of the painting at $22,000. John Doe files IRS Form 8283 with his tax return and deducts $22,000.

Although almost anybody can estimate the value of goods or services, the IRS has very strict guidelines about who can be a "qualified appraiser." Among other things, the appraiser must have a professional appraiser designation from a national appraiser organization, perform appraisals regularly, meet certain education requirements and meet other guidelines as the IRS deems necessary. In many cases, a qualified appraiser can’t be the donor, the donee, anyone party to the acquisition of the property, or an employee or relative of anyone involved.

Appraisers charge a fee for appraisals, though for qualified appraisers, the fee cannot be based on or a percentage of the value of the property appraised. The cost of the appraisal itself is also not deductable as a charitable contribution, though it might be deductible elsewhere depending on the donor’s tax situation. Sometimes charities pay the appraisal fee, but some types of charities are restricted from doing so.

Why It Matters

For many securities, the market is a natural appraiser—it dictates the value of securities on an almost instantaneous basis throughout the day. But for less liquid things, such as houses, old cars, pieces of art, or ownership positions in private companies, it’s harder to decide what those things are worth. And in many cases, the value of an asset determines the price of a transaction or the size of a tax bill.

Accordingly, misleading asset pricing can also be a way to engage in tax fraud or lopsided deals. That’s why the IRS requires people who want to deduct certain large charitable donations to obtain qualified appraisals for those items. The IRS can impose penalties of 40% for a gross misstatement of a donation (and even a 20% penalty for just a “substantial” misstatement), and it can also penalize the appraisers involved in the misstatement.

Source: Investing Answers

APPRAISE Defined for English Language Learners

appraise

verb

Definition of appraise for English Language Learners

: to say how much something is worth after you have carefully examined it : to give an official opinion about the value of (something)
: to give your opinion about the condition, quality, or importance of (something or someone that you have studied or examined)

APPRAISE Defined for Kids

appraise

verb ap·praise \ ə-ˈprāz \

Definition of appraise for Students

appraised; appraising

: to set a value on

appraise a diamond

Law Dictionary

appraise

transitive verb ap·praise \ ə-ˈprāz \

legal Definition of appraise

appraised; appraising

: to estimate the value of : make an appraisal of

—

appraiser

noun

Learn More about appraise

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

Seen and Heard

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

show

appraise

Definition of appraise

appraisee

appraisement

appraiser

appraisingly

appraisive

Examples of appraise in a Sentence

Recent Examples of appraise from the Web

Origin and Etymology of appraise

appraise Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Synonym Discussion of appraise

Financial Definition of APPRAISE

What It Is

How It Works

Why It Matters

APPRAISE Defined for English Language Learners

appraise

Definition of appraise for English Language Learners

APPRAISE Defined for Kids

appraise

Definition of appraise for Students

Law Dictionary

appraise

legal Definition of appraise

appraiser

Learn More about appraise

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Going Greek: 7 Words from the Greek Alphabet

'Preventive' or 'Preventative'?

Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz

Trending: Trump: Den of Thieves and 'Lowlifes'

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes