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.”
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'appropriate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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.
Red wine would have been a more appropriate choice with the meal.
The movie is perfectly appropriate to people of all ages.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'appropriate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
: to get or save (money) for a specific use or purpose
: to take or use (something) especially in a way that is illegal, unfair, etc.
: right or suited for some purpose or situation
See words that rhyme with appropriate Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for appropriate Spanish Central: Translation of appropriate Nglish: Translation of appropriate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of appropriate for Arabic speakers
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