misappropriate
verb
mis·ap·pro·pri·ate
ˌmi-sə-ˈprō-prē-ˌāt 
misappropriated; misappropriating; misappropriates
: to appropriate wrongly (as by theft or embezzlement)
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
The former Seymour police union president has been accused of misappropriating more than $30,000 worth of union funds and allegedly depositing some of it into a sports betting app.
—
Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 14 Apr. 2026
The executive director of the Youth Symphony of Kansas City has been fired for allegedly misappropriating funds.
—Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2026
The attorney general’s lawsuit accuses all of the defendants of conspiracy to misappropriate charitable funds and breach of charitable trust.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
Although Nigeria was temporarily suspended from the Commonwealth group of nations, the oil industry continued its operations, and federal governments continued to misappropriate their share of the revenues and violently suppress protests.
—Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for misappropriate
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 14 Apr. 2026
The executive director of the Youth Symphony of Kansas City has been fired for allegedly misappropriating funds.
—Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2026
The attorney general’s lawsuit accuses all of the defendants of conspiracy to misappropriate charitable funds and breach of charitable trust.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
Although Nigeria was temporarily suspended from the Commonwealth group of nations, the oil industry continued its operations, and federal governments continued to misappropriate their share of the revenues and violently suppress protests.
—Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for misappropriate
Cite this Entry
“Misappropriate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misappropriate. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
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)
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
