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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
  • 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
  • The Founders never intended for the federal government to usurp the authority of your local school board or your homeowners’ association.
    — Sen. Rand Paul OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of usurp
Verb
  • Wilson was installed as interim mayor two years ago, after former Mayor Charles Griffin was convicted of embezzling between $10,000 and $100,000 of public funds to benefit himself and others close to him.
    — Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Wilson also alleged Cameron and Holden embezzled 900,000 Australian dollars ($642,000) from a joint venture company set up to make the movie.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of embezzle
Verb
  • The charges stemmed from fighting more than a decade ago between the predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels who seized power from then-President François Bozizé, and a mainly Christian militia called the anti-Balaka.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Confession has also been a way for artists to seize authority from systems that preferred them silent, decorative, or safely explained.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of seize
Verb
  • The Federal Communications Commission has been taking public comments on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that proposes to preempt state and local permitting rules.
    — Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 2026
  • For starters, Congress doesn’t have unlimited authority to preempt state laws or restrain states from enforcing their own laws.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of preempt
Verb
  • The rescissions would block $567 million appropriated for Health and Human Services programs for refugees, asylees and other non-citizens and $28 million for HHS research.
    — Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 26 Sep. 2026
  • But Wolfson once more goes the less dangerous route, appropriating a 1984 photograph of two tulips in a black void instead of something more explicit.
    — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of appropriate
Verb
  • Five Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers were charged with misusing the agency's license plate reader technology, according to court records released on Wednesday.
    — Jack Date, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department announced Wednesday that an internal audit of the department’s ALPRs found that five officers misused the technology.
    — Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 23 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
  • The filing said a Secret Service agent had confiscated the journalists’ credentials.
    — Jocelyn Noveck, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Politico reported that one of its correspondents was turned away and his press credentials were confiscated.
    — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 24 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.

Browse Nearby Words

Pecksniffian
peculate
peculated
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Peculate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/peculate. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

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