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
  • Since around 2020, the literary precinct of the social-media platform TikTok seems to have usurped older marketing and publicity strategies as a primary driver of sales.
    — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Meanwhile, his long-suffering wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), is warding off hundreds of suitors eager to usurp Odysseus’ throne back home.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 1 Aug. 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
  • At home, Indian authorities moved aggressively, seizing his properties and luxury assets, from high-end cars to jewelry and artworks.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026
  • President Min Aung Hlaing, the former army chief who had originally seized power in 2021 from Suu Kyi’s civilian government, has been trying to win political legitimacy since the takeover and resume relations with ASEAN.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of seize
Verb
  • The movie itself disappoints him for its deviations from the Stephen King novel (including this detail may help preempt criticisms over this adaptation), but he’s also distracted by the presence of a strikingly handsome stranger (Homer Gere).
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2026
  • On July 8, a federal judge in Manhattan denied Kalshi's bid to block New York's regulators, holding the state's gambling laws are not preempted as applied to sports contracts.
    — Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of preempt
Verb
  • The act’s safety requirements phase in through 2028, giving developers and auditors appropriate time to prepare.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Its funding comes from money appropriated by Congress, as well as donations from corporations and individuals.
    — Sarah Webber, The Conversation, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of appropriate
Verb
  • The Driver and Vehicle Information Database (DAVID), used by the FWC to track its critics, has a history of being misused by Florida law enforcement.
    — Isabella Herrera, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Touted as dream crime-fighting tools, networks of roadside cameras by Flock and other companies have also been misused to spy on people’s lives.
    — Drew Harwell, Washington Post, 4 Aug. 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
  • Reuters — The Thai teen behind a deadly school shooting outside Bangkok had an air gun confiscated by a teacher last year and had watched violent content online, police said on Sunday, as the government promised new safety protocols for schools.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026
  • But Gale found an unlikely refuge in books that had been confiscated from the belongings of new members.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 6 Aug. 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 11 Aug. 2026.

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