ap·pro·pri·ate
ə-ˈprō-prē-ət 
: especially suitable or compatible : fitting
an appropriate response
remarks appropriate to the occasion
appropriately
adverb
appropriateness
noun
ap·pro·pri·ate
ə-ˈprō-prē-ˌāt
appropriated; appropriating
2
: to set apart for or assign to a particular purpose or use
appropriate money for a research program
3
: to take or make use of without authority or right
natural habitats that have been appropriated for human use
Did you know?
From its roots, the verb appropriate would mean basically "make one's own"—that is, "take", or sometimes "grab". Each year the President and Congress create a budget and appropriate funds for each item in it, funds which mostly come in the form of taxes from the public. In the House of Representatives, the powerful Appropriations Committee often gets the last word on how much money goes to each program. "Misappropriation of funds", on the other hand, is a nice way of saying "theft". If someone appropriated pieces of your novel, you might take him or her to court; and if you appropriated trade secrets from your former employers, you might be the one sued.
Examples of appropriate in a Sentence
Adjective
More than almost anyone writing today, Slater, whose prose is astringent and sensuous by turn, reflects both a genuine feeling for and appreciation of foods appropriate to the season—and a tolerance for kitchen disasters.
—
Cynthia Zarin, Gourmet, April 2007
Crepuscular means "pertaining to twilight." It sounds so lovely. I use the word as much as possible, even when it's not appropriate.
—Bob Berman, Astronomy, June 2006
While working as one of the exhibition curators, I was surprised to learn that, until the 1920s, ice cream was properly eaten with a fork, a cumbersome technique decried by none other than Florence Howe hall, the granddaughter of Julia Ward Howe, who wrote "The Battle Hymn of the Republic". But if high society eventually agreed on a more appropriate utensil for eating the frozen-dessert, even the most au courant hostess may have had trouble deciding what kind of device should be used for serving it …
—Darra Goldstein, Saveur, June-July 2006
Three days. There was no way on this earth that proper due diligence could be done in such a limited time. For a merger of this magnitude, a week's worth of due diligence would have been more appropriate.
—Nina Munk, Vanity Fair, January 2004
Red wine would have been a more appropriate choice with the meal.
The movie is perfectly appropriate to people of all ages.
Verb
From this source it was appropriated by Wilhelm Ropke in his effort to develop a social and political theory in which the market economy would be reconciled with the local community.
—Roger Scruton, National Review, 20 June 2005
Dr. Seuss's mother, also the daughter of German immigrants, was Henrietta Seuss, and when he appropriated the name for his books Dr. Seuss pronounced it in the German manner, "soice," until he realized that Americans naturally read the name as "soose," and that the American pronunciation of "Dr. Seuss" evoked a figure advantageous for an author of children's books to be associated with—Mother Goose.
—Louis Menand, New Yorker, 23 & 30 Dec. 2002
Wales, in contrast, was officially appropriated into the United Kingdom by Henry VIII's Acts of Union, in 1536 and 1543, before it had developed the apparatus of a modern state.
—Pamela Petro, Atlantic, April 1999
The town has appropriated funds to repair the bridge and work should begin this summer.
The economy has been weakened by corrupt officials who have appropriated the country's resources for their own use.
Elements of the design were appropriated from other architects.
The term “bad” has been appropriated by teenagers as a synonym for “good.”
Cynthia Zarin, Gourmet, April 2007
Crepuscular means "pertaining to twilight." It sounds so lovely. I use the word as much as possible, even when it's not appropriate.
—Bob Berman, Astronomy, June 2006
While working as one of the exhibition curators, I was surprised to learn that, until the 1920s, ice cream was properly eaten with a fork, a cumbersome technique decried by none other than Florence Howe hall, the granddaughter of Julia Ward Howe, who wrote "The Battle Hymn of the Republic". But if high society eventually agreed on a more appropriate utensil for eating the frozen-dessert, even the most au courant hostess may have had trouble deciding what kind of device should be used for serving it …
—Darra Goldstein, Saveur, June-July 2006
Three days. There was no way on this earth that proper due diligence could be done in such a limited time. For a merger of this magnitude, a week's worth of due diligence would have been more appropriate.
—Nina Munk, Vanity Fair, January 2004
Red wine would have been a more appropriate choice with the meal.
The movie is perfectly appropriate to people of all ages.
Verb
From this source it was appropriated by Wilhelm Ropke in his effort to develop a social and political theory in which the market economy would be reconciled with the local community.
—Roger Scruton, National Review, 20 June 2005
Dr. Seuss's mother, also the daughter of German immigrants, was Henrietta Seuss, and when he appropriated the name for his books Dr. Seuss pronounced it in the German manner, "soice," until he realized that Americans naturally read the name as "soose," and that the American pronunciation of "Dr. Seuss" evoked a figure advantageous for an author of children's books to be associated with—Mother Goose.
—Louis Menand, New Yorker, 23 & 30 Dec. 2002
Wales, in contrast, was officially appropriated into the United Kingdom by Henry VIII's Acts of Union, in 1536 and 1543, before it had developed the apparatus of a modern state.
—Pamela Petro, Atlantic, April 1999
The town has appropriated funds to repair the bridge and work should begin this summer.
The economy has been weakened by corrupt officials who have appropriated the country's resources for their own use.
Elements of the design were appropriated from other architects.
The term “bad” has been appropriated by teenagers as a synonym for “good.”
Recent Examples on the Web
Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
The authorities in California and Los Angeles were taking the appropriate actions.
—Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 10 June 2025
Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 9 June 2025
For fiscal year 2026, the state has appropriated $50 million.
—Lizzie Kane, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for appropriate
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Adjective
Measurable: Evaluate reasoning quality by tracking consistency across different scenarios, measuring response accuracy under varying complexity levels, and assessing appropriate uncertainty expression rather than just confidence metrics.
—Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
The authorities in California and Los Angeles were taking the appropriate actions.
—Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 10 June 2025
Verb
In early May, Berg emailed Bhattacharya to express alarm over the NIH’s severe slowdown in grant making, and to remind him of his responsibilities as director to responsibly shepherd the funds Congress had appropriated to the agency.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 9 June 2025
For fiscal year 2026, the state has appropriated $50 million.
—Lizzie Kane, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for appropriate
Cite this Entry
“Appropriate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/appropriate. Accessed 22 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
appropriate
1 of 2 verb
ap·pro·pri·ate
ə-ˈprō-prē-ˌāt
appropriated; appropriating
1
: to take for one's own often without right
2
: to set apart for a particular purpose or use
appropriate funds for research
appropriate
2 of 2 adjective
ap·pro·pri·ate
ə-ˈprō-prē-ət
: especially suitable or fitting
appropriately
adverb
appropriateness
noun
Legal Definition
appropriate
transitive verb
ap·pro·pri·ate
ə-ˈprō-prē-ˌāt
appropriated; appropriating
1
: to set apart for or assign to a particular recipient, purpose, or use
the legislature appropriating funds for the program
2
: to take or make use of without authority or right
Etymology
Transitive verb
Late Latin appropriare to take possession of, from ad to, for + proprius one's own
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