embezzle

verb

Definition of embezzlenext
as in to steal
to steal money that you have been trusted with He was caught embezzling money from his clients.

Related Words

Relevance

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 embezzle The former state senator was sentenced to two years for embezzling funds. — Suzanne Van Atten, AJC.com, 24 Aug. 2026 According to investigators, Rodriguez and Perez embezzled approximately $620,000 from Iron Container between 2020 and 2025. — Abby Dodge, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026 Ludlow pleaded guilty to a felony charge of conspiring to embezzle union funds in 2006. — Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026 Darryl McCauley worked as the comedian’s business manager for several years until he was charged in 2008 with embezzling at least $12 million from Cook. — Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for embezzle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for embezzle
  1. steal
  2. usurp
  3. misappropriate
Verb
  • Pike committed the crime over an intense romantic jealousy of Slemmer, who allegedly attempted to steal her boyfriend’s attention.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Related Articles The paintings, Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano and Femme au puits (Woman at the Well), were stolen from the Musée Renoir in Cagnes-sur-Mer on September 8.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of steal
Verb
  • But by the end of the movie, Verity is dead and her publishing empire has been usurped by her ghostwriter.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Murray said that in recent spending negotiations, Democrats fought to include language to prevent the administration from usurping Congress’ power on spending decisions, but Republicans have declined to go along.
    — Kevin Freking, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of usurp
Verb
  • Some Buddhist temples in Thailand are extremely wealthy because worshippers donate large amounts as a way of making religious merit, and the country has seen cases of senior monks being accused of misappropriating temple funds.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The jury found that Joby owes Aerosonic more than $48 million for misappropriating trade secrets and more than $68 million for breaking a nondisclosure agreement.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of misappropriate

Browse Nearby Words

embellishments
embezzle
embezzled
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Embezzle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/embezzle. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of zenith

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 16
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All