APPROPRIATES Synonyms: 87 Similar and Opposite Words

appropriates

verb

present tense third-person singular of appropriate

as in seizes

to take or make use of under a guise of authority but without actual right archaeologists wrongfully appropriated artifacts excavated at ancient sites for their museums

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in steals

to take (something) without right and with an intent to keep you can't just appropriate somebody's term paper and put your name on it!

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of appropriates The bill appropriates $495 million for fiscal years 2026 through 2030. — Carrie Brandon Elliot, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026 The state appropriates within its budget to ensure bond holders know the state has the money, but the state hasn’t had to use that money because the admissions tax and tax district have funded the bond, Huston said. — Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026 The lawsuit argues the freeze violated federal law, including the Administrative Procedure Act and constitutional limits on executive power and how Congress appropriates funds. — Sacbee.com, 9 Jan. 2026 The state appropriates funds for the voucher program at the beginning of the fiscal year and then seeks federal reimbursement. — Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 7 Jan. 2026 But November's benefits have been disrupted due to a lack of funding deal from Congress, which appropriates the federal funds for the program. — Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025 Typically, Congress passes a budget that appropriates money for the next fiscal year to federal agencies. — Amy Maxmen, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2025 Most legal scholars interpret this to mean that the president’s duty is to spend the money Congress appropriates, and that the president does not have the power to withhold funds. — Andy Kroll, ProPublica, 18 Oct. 2025 Most legal scholars interpret this to mean that the President’s duty is to spend the money Congress appropriates, and that the President does not have the power to withhold funds. — Andy Kroll, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for appropriates

Verb

Rhaenyra, queen of the Blacks, seizes the Iron Throne in King’s Landing with the support of Alicent, who has simply had enough of her unstable and terrible sons.

— Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 13 July 2026
Trump seizes America’s 250th-birthday spotlight, headlining the Great American State Fair, hosting a UFC bout at the White House and promoting new passports, $250 bills and coins bearing his image.

— Will Weissert, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026

Definition of seizes

Verb

John Legend steals the show at the 2026 Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland on July 9.

— People Staff, PEOPLE, 13 July 2026
Adebayo ranks second in franchise history in all-time points scored (10,391 points) and total rebounds grabbed (5,756 rebounds), third in all-time assists (2,276 assists) and steals (693), and fifth in all-time blocks (538 blocks).

— Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 11 July 2026

Definition of steals

Verb

Unlike most other states, California has its own inspection-and-approval system for fireworks, and confiscates those failing standards.

— Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 30 June 2026
The children designated as Palestinians, meanwhile, have their drawings torn up and are relegated to small corners of the classroom while the teacher confiscates their candy.

— Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 26 Nov. 2025

Definition of confiscates

Verb

After witnessing Sinner miss 16 break points against the same opponent on Friday, Alcaraz would have been forgiven for worrying that something similar might happen to him — especially against arguably tennis’s greatest escape artist, at least until the Spaniard usurps him.

— Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Jokic usurps Nurkic Jusuf Nurkic became Jokic’s first backup center in unceremonious fashion, getting benched by Michael Malone 25 games into his third season.

— Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2025

Definition of usurps

Verb

Advertisement That question deserves particular attention because Atlanta occupies a unique place in the American imagination.

— Jeffrey Bennett, Time, 17 July 2026
The restaurant occupies a compact space that serves customers from a takeout counter, with picnic tables outside for eating.

— Katie Riley, Southern Living, 17 July 2026

Definition of occupies

Verb

The company said its proprietary data asset grabs millions of live data points across tens of thousands of factories and suppliers.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 17 July 2026
Objects d’art In the living room, a vintage motorcycle immediately grabs visitors’ attention.

— Annabelle Dufraigne, Architectural Digest, 14 July 2026

Definition of grabs

Verb

The local ordinances remain on the books, but employers are no longer required to follow their criminal history timing restrictions because state law preempts them.

— Alonzo Martinez, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
The court held that federal pesticide law preempts a state failure-to-warn claim when the Environmental Protection Agency has not required a cancer warning on the product label.

— Alex Smolak, STAT, 27 June 2026