peculate

verb

Definition of peculatenext
as in to usurp

Related Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for peculate
  1. usurp
  2. embezzle
  3. seize
  4. preempt
  5. appropriate
  6. misuse
  7. arrogate
  8. confiscate
Verb
  • Anyway, Mack usurped the starting catcher role upon arrival in Miami, maintaining the same 26 HR per 600 PA pace achieved over his last two seasons of MiLB ball.
    — John Laghezza, New York Times, 24 July 2026
  • Eggers made his name by deriding, and then usurping, the literary establishment, in the process defying the tired binary of pure artist versus sellout.
    — Tope Folarin, The Atlantic, 22 July 2026
Definition of usurp
Verb
  • Matthew Robinson was sued by his brother and a co-founder of the company, claiming $100,000 was embezzled over two years, according to a 2014 lawsuit.
    — Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 17 July 2026
  • Lum is charged with embezzling more than $600,000 from the institution.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 14 July 2026
Definition of embezzle
Verb
  • The pivotal moment occurred when Randy Orton made a shocking return, delivering an RKO to Cody Rhodes, which allowed Punk to seize the opportunity and secure the pinfall.
    — Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • The 12th-century castle, also known as Al-Shaqif, was seized by Israeli forces in May.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of seize
Verb
  • The federal pardon, however, doesn’t preempt Fauci from facing possible state charges.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 29 July 2026
  • The district court held in August 2024 that the SCOPE Act’s monitoring and filtering requirement is preempted by Section 230’s prohibition on treating interactive computer services as the publisher or speaker of information provided by someone else.
    — Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 27 July 2026
Definition of preempt
Verb
  • With the regular session over, lawmakers have two avenues to appropriate state funding.
    — Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Although Congress appropriated $345 million for AHRQ for this fiscal year, the agency has spent less than $15 million on grants and hasn’t issued a new one in over a year, according to a review of federal records.
    — Arthur Allen, Miami Herald, 30 July 2026
Definition of appropriate
Verb
  • The Greenville County Sheriff’s Department fired two officers this summer for misusing the agency’s Flock cameras, the Post and Courier reported Wednesday.
    — Noah Vinsky, Charlotte Observer, 29 July 2026
  • The lawsuit also alleges that Penske and Boehly manipulated and misused California’s nonprofit laws.
    — Andrew Dalton, Fortune, 29 July 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
  • Tucked inside a green oasis in the middle of the capital, Santo Domingo, are crocodiles, flamingos, and even tigers that officials have confiscated from people accused of illegally keeping them.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 July 2026
  • After helping rescue a small group of ploughshares confiscated from smugglers, Goode and the Turtle Conservancy became the first to successfully breed the species outside of Madagascar.
    — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 29 July 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.

Browse Nearby Words

Pecksniffian
peculate
peculated
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Cite this Entry

“Peculate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/peculate. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

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