appropriation
noun
ap·pro·pri·a·tion
ə-ˌprō-prē-ˈā-shən 
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
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 on the Web
The last rule failure was on July 15, when 13 conservatives tanked a rule vote for a slate of cryptocurrency bills and an appropriations bill over problems with some of the crypto legislation.
—
Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 10 Dec. 2025
The process is used for increases and mandatory spending and revenue changes, not the annual Pentagon budget, which is set through appropriations and the yearly Defense Department funding bills.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025
Neither the House nor Senate appropriations bills would close the centers, although both still have yet to be finalized.
—Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 8 Dec. 2025
Senate Republican sources say Trump has been asked to convince Senate conservatives to relent and allow the quintet of appropriations bills to advance — something GOP leaders believe is a crucial step to avoiding another government shutdown in February.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for appropriation
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Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 10 Dec. 2025
The process is used for increases and mandatory spending and revenue changes, not the annual Pentagon budget, which is set through appropriations and the yearly Defense Department funding bills.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025
Neither the House nor Senate appropriations bills would close the centers, although both still have yet to be finalized.
—Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 8 Dec. 2025
Senate Republican sources say Trump has been asked to convince Senate conservatives to relent and allow the quintet of appropriations bills to advance — something GOP leaders believe is a crucial step to avoiding another government shutdown in February.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for appropriation
Cite this Entry
“Appropriation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/appropriation. Accessed 18 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
appropriation
noun
ap·pro·pri·a·tion
ə-ˌprō-prē-ˈā-shən
1
: an act or instance of appropriating
2
: a sum of money appropriated for a specific use
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