Thesaurus results for PECULATE

peculate

verb

Definition of peculate

as in to usurp

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for peculate

Verb

The head coach foresaw a transition taking place over a 12-to-18-month period, whereby Trafford would eventually usurp Pope, now 34.

— Chris Waugh, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Jason Speaking of football-loving families, the Kelces seem to have usurped the Mannings for the sport’s first family.

— Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of usurp

Verb

The Seoul Central District Court convicted Han, widow of church founder Sun Myung Moon, of violating the political funds act, bribery and embezzling church funds, the court said in a statement.

— ABC News, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026
The former state senator was sentenced to two years for embezzling funds.

— Suzanne Van Atten, AJC.com, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of embezzle

Verb

But the truth of it is that Sharaa forced his hand by seizing swathes of the SDF’s territory in a lightning offensive in January.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 6 Sep. 2026
Who knows more of the injustice of the world than the girl who saw her town seized by a white-supremacist coup, the Wilmington massacre, in 1898?

— Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of seize

Verb

The bill has faced criticism from states, however, over aspects that would override, or preempt, their own laws.

— Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
As discussed in more detail below, the NBA, like other pro leagues, are contractually designed to preempt potential litigation brought by teams.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of preempt

Verb

Congressional leaders turned to a short-term funding patch after bipartisan negotiations in the Senate to appropriate money for the next full fiscal year broke down.

— Sam Gringlas, NPR, 1 Sep. 2026
Tiki bars aren’t without criticism, having occasionally been attacked as escapist fantasy that appropriates Hawaiian or Polynesian iconography.

— Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of appropriate

Verb

In Georgia, more than two dozen law enforcement officers have been accused of misusing Flock camera databases to conduct non-investigative searches, and in some cases stalk and harass citizens in their communities.

— Irene Wright, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
Across the country, a slew of law enforcement officers have been investigated for misusing Flock cameras for personal reasons, according to a USA Today report last month.

— Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of misuse

Verb

What shouldn’t happen is for the federal government to arrogate to itself nationalization powers over what fans are so passionate about.

— John Tamny, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
But all of those ideas for spending or tax rebates, again, all of those are congressional authority that the president is arrogating to himself—something else that would have startled the founders of the country all those 250 years ago.

— David Frum, The Atlantic, 31 Dec. 2025

Definition of arrogate

Verb

Additional devices were reportedly confiscated at James' home, officials said.

— Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Lebanese soldiers deployed there are tasked with preventing armed non-state actors, like Hezbollah, from coming in; confiscating any weapons and remnants of war; and restoring state authority.

— Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of confiscate

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.

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Pecksniffian

peculate

peculated

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“Peculate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/peculate. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of peculate

verb

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