misappropriate

verb

mis·​ap·​pro·​pri·​ate ˌmi-sə-ˈprō-prē-ˌāt 

misappropriated; misappropriating; misappropriates

transitive verb

: to appropriate wrongly (as by theft or embezzlement)

misappropriation

ˌmi-sə-ˌprō-prē-ˈā-shən 

noun

Synonyms of misappropriate

• steal

Examples of misappropriate in a Sentence

They accused him of misappropriating town funds.

a financial manager misappropriating funds from her clients' accounts

Recent Examples on the Web

Meyer wound up allegedly misappropriating about $570,000, including $100,000 for a personal investment in an exotic-car company and $220,000 sent to his personal bank account. — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026

The Yes campaign claims that the CEOs of some clinics are misappropriating taxpayer funds to inflate their own salaries, rather than putting the money toward patient care and clinic staffing. — Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Court findings, shared in 2025, showed that nearly 72% of the sheriff’s office spending was misattributed or misappropriated. — Yana Kunichoff, ProPublica, 18 Sep. 2026

According to a criminal complaint, Young used shell corporations and fraudulent billing practices to misappropriate funds intended for homeless housing, including through programs administered by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for misappropriate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate

Kids Definition

misappropriate

verb

mis·​ap·​pro·​pri·​ate ˌmis-ə-ˈprō-prē-ˌāt 

: to appropriate wrongly

especially : to take dishonestly for one's own use

misappropriation

-ˌprō-prē-ˈā-shən 

noun

Legal Definition

misappropriate

transitive verb

mis·​ap·​pro·​pri·​ate ˌmi-sə-ˈprō-prē-ˌāt 

: to appropriate wrongfully or unlawfully (as by theft or embezzlement)

misappropriation

-ˌprō-prē-ˈā-shən 

noun