appropriation

noun ap·pro·pri·a·tion \ ə-ˌprō-prē-ˈā-shən \

Definition of appropriation

1 :an act or instance of appropriating something

2 :something that has been appropriated; specifically :money set aside by formal action for a specific use

the city's appropriation for schools

—

appropriative

play \-ˈprō-prē-ˌā-tiv\ adjective

See appropriation defined for English-language learners

See appropriation defined for kids

Examples of appropriation in a Sentence

the appropriation of funds to repair the bridge
The economy has been weakened by the appropriation of the country's resources by corrupt officials.

Recent Examples of appropriation from the Web

Culinary appropriation is a thorny phenomenon to pin down.

— ben huberman, Longreads, "Moonshine: The Black Tradition of Distilling ‘White Whiskey’," 25 Aug. 2017
Or rather, appropriation fueled by an identity crisis.

— emilia petrarca, The Cut, "Taylor Swift Just Sucked All the Fun Out of Merch," 25 Aug. 2017
The payments are the subject of a lawsuit brought by House Republicans over whether the health law specifically included a congressional appropriation for the money, as required under the Constitution.

— hope yen, The Seattle Times, "White House: Trump to decide soon on ending health payments," 31 July 2017
Roosevelt held his coalition together by awarding massive defense contracts to southern states whose senators were the barons of the defense and appropriations committees.

— jonah goldberg, National Review, "Don’t Be Shocked (Shocked!) by Alaska Threats," 28 July 2017
House Republicans have rejected the new investment in their appropriations bill.

— emma brown, Washington Post, "DeVos tells conservative lawmakers what they like to hear: More local control, school choice," 20 July 2017
The approval followed a public hearing on the additional appropriation for the bond money that brought no comments for or against the plan.

— carrie napoleon, Post-Tribune, "Council approves $12 million improvements plan," 12 July 2017
Republicans in the appropriations process are attempting to boost the defense spending cap by $72 billion, which would require Democratic votes.

— erik wasson, Bloomberg.com, "House GOP's $1.6 Billion Border Wall Plan Sets Up Fight," 11 July 2017
The House of Representatives appropriations panel will vote Wednesday on a Department of Energy (DOE) spending bill that largely rejects deep 2018 cuts to science programs proposed by President Donald Trump.

— david malakoff, Science | AAAS, "House panel set to vote on bill that cuts or eliminates some DOE science programs," 11 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of appropriation

see ²appropriate

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

appropriation Synonyms

Synonyms

allocation, allotment, annuity, entitlement, grant, subsidy, subvention

Related Words

aid, assistance, block grant, grant-in-aid, set-aside; foreign aid, relief, state aid; advance, allowance, benefit, bequest, endowment, fund, legacy, stipend, trust, trust fund

APPROPRIATION Defined for Kids

appropriation

noun ap·pro·pri·a·tion \ ə-ˌprō-prē-ˈā-shən \

Definition of appropriation for Students

1 :an act or instance of taking especially illegally or unfairly

2 :the act or an instance of setting apart for a special purpose

3 :a sum of money set apart for a special purpose

Learn More about appropriation

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

Seen and Heard

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

show

appropriation

Definition of appropriation

appropriative

Examples of appropriation in a Sentence

Recent Examples of appropriation from the Web

Origin and Etymology of appropriation

appropriation Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

APPROPRIATION Defined for Kids

appropriation

Definition of appropriation for Students

Learn More about appropriation

Seen and Heard

WORD OF THE DAY

malign

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

Words at Play

The History of the Word 'Terrorism'

'Regimen' vs. 'Regiment'

'Spox' May Go On The Record

C'mon, Of Course 'Myriad' Is a Noun

Ask the Editors

Words of the Year: 1066

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Irregardless

Weird Plurals

Word Games

Forms of Government Quiz

Original Meanings Quiz

True or False?

SCRABBLE® Sprint

The History of the Word 'Terrorism'

Trending: McCain: Half-Baked, 'Spurious' Nationalism

17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Forms of Government Quiz

Words of the Year: 1066

appropriation

Definition of appropriation

appropriative

Explore Merriam-Webster

Examples of appropriation in a Sentence

Recent Examples of appropriation from the Web

Origin and Etymology of appropriation

appropriation Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

APPROPRIATION Defined for Kids

appropriation

Definition of appropriation for Students

Learn More about appropriation

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

The History of the Word 'Terrorism'

Trending: McCain: Half-Baked, 'Spurious' Nationalism

17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Forms of Government Quiz

Words of the Year: 1066