Synonyms of misappropriate

misappropriate

verb

ˌmi-sə-ˈprō-prē-ˌāt 

as in to steal

to take (something) without right and with an intent to keep

a financial manager misappropriating funds from her clients' accounts

Synonyms & Similar Words

• steal
• pilfer
• swipe
• rob
• filch
• appropriate
• grab
• purloin
• thieve
• snatch
• lift
• snitch
• rip off
• hijack
• pinch
• nick
• pocket
• hook
• boost
• make away with
• nip
• walk off with
• run off with
• make off with
• plunder
• take
• seize
• pick
• pillage
• heist
• burglarize
• loot
• sack
• poach
• shoplift
• knock over
• kidnap
• abduct
• spirit
• rustle
• rifle
• grasp
• carjack
• collar
• sponge
• nail
• mooch
• shanghai

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• buy
• purchase
• give
• contribute
• present
• bestow
• donate
• hand over

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of misappropriate

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

Three years later, in April 2018, he was accused of misappropriating over $400,000 in funds while working at the financial aid office as an undergraduate. — Owen Carry, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026

That’s one reason there are so many arguments over the value of a team, or an athlete, or sports more generally, as more and more money chases something essentially priceless—or misappropriated, depending on your view. — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026