1
as in seizing
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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2
as in stealing
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
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Recent Examples of appropriating
But Huddleston disagreed, saying the charter governs spending money but doesn’t apply to merely appropriating it.
—
Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 7 Jan. 2026
Trump expressly declared that appropriating Venezuela’s enormous oil reserves justified regime change.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 4 Jan. 2026
Before springing for that Mandala or Celtic knot design, make sure to read up on its meaning to avoid appropriating any cultural or spiritual themes.
—Marianne Mychaskiw, Allure, 11 Dec. 2025
Some might be offended by an upstart office appropriating the hallowed Blue nickname.
—Big Think, 12 Nov. 2025
Legislative leaders are considering appropriating the money during a special session next month.
—The Npr Network, NPR, 6 Nov. 2025
While some fans were thrilled to see the return of a Snapchat filter, matte-lip sporting Jenner, others were less enchanted, calling the reality star out for appropriating Black culture.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025
The awards are expected to be announced later this year and depend on Congress appropriating the funds, according to the National Science Foundation website.
—Center Square, The Washington Examiner, 27 Aug. 2025
Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 7 Jan. 2026
Trump expressly declared that appropriating Venezuela’s enormous oil reserves justified regime change.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 4 Jan. 2026
Before springing for that Mandala or Celtic knot design, make sure to read up on its meaning to avoid appropriating any cultural or spiritual themes.
—Marianne Mychaskiw, Allure, 11 Dec. 2025
Some might be offended by an upstart office appropriating the hallowed Blue nickname.
—Big Think, 12 Nov. 2025
Legislative leaders are considering appropriating the money during a special session next month.
—The Npr Network, NPR, 6 Nov. 2025
While some fans were thrilled to see the return of a Snapchat filter, matte-lip sporting Jenner, others were less enchanted, calling the reality star out for appropriating Black culture.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025
The awards are expected to be announced later this year and depend on Congress appropriating the funds, according to the National Science Foundation website.
—Center Square, The Washington Examiner, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for appropriating
Verb
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But seizing current oil production is one thing; overhauling Venezuela's entire oil industry would be another.—
Camila Domonoske,
NPR,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Trump has occasionally discussed seizing Greenland since his first term but few initially took his threats seriously.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In a decision filed last week in Fulton County Superior Court, District Attorney Fani Willis said there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute Patty Durand for stealing trade secrets, which is a felony.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
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Portland cut it to single digits early in the fourth with a pair of at-the-rim makes by Robert Williams III, the second of which Holiday set up by stealing an errant White pass.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Security forces are conducting door-to-door searches, confiscating satellite dishes to identify protesters.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
20 Jan. 2026
-
After confiscating the device, officials downloaded its data to look at the GPS locations of where the drone had been.—
Laura Romero,
ABC News,
12 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The War of the Two Caesars also serves as a nice mirror for everything going down with the Brotherhood, Elder Cleric Quintus still hellbent on usurping the Commonwealth despite the arrival of Kumail Nanjiani’s Paladin Xander Harkness, an emissary from that neck of the woods.—
Jack King,
Vulture,
31 Dec. 2025
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The District of Columbia attorney general, however, accused the administration of unlawfully usurping control of the city’s law enforcement and violating a law prohibiting troops from doing domestic police work.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
27 Nov. 2025
Verb
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SpaceX was also famously involved in funding and operating the headline-grabbing Polaris Dawn crewed commercial mission in September 2024.—
Eric Lagatta,
AZCentral.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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Rene Arturo Lujan, 43, admitted to grabbing two girls on June 18 and June 20, 2024, leading to his arrest roughly two hours after the second kidnapping attempt.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The final challenge is converting willingness to pay into revenue.—
Esade Business & Law School,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Heated Rivalry is not the biggest show on television, but the scale of the book business is such that even a fraction of viewers converting to become readers of the series is enough to shake up book sales.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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How heartbreaking, and how vile, that any adult claiming compassion would seek to imbue a child with that extreme allergy to their own self.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Jan. 2026
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This positions you as someone who understands their space without claiming to have all the answers.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Appropriating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/appropriating. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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