embezzlement
CulturalExplanation
If you are glee club treasurer, and you pocket twenty glee dollars saying you used it to buy lozenges, you are committing embezzlement, the theft of money or property that you officially manage. In order for stealing to be embezzlement, you need to both be in charge of the funds or property you are stealing, and you need to conceal your theft. Because of this, it is classified as a type of fraud. People who commit embezzlement often create fake paper trails — receipts, canceled checks, false signatures — to hide their crime.
Vocabulary lists containing embezzlement
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Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Michael Boaz, former town manager of Pilot Mountain, N.C., was indicted on a felony embezzlement charge on May 11 for allegedly misusing taxpayer money.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
The accountant’s preliminary review cited evidence of misappropriation and potential embezzlement.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
Murrell's lawyer suggested to the court that his client would be able to repay the sum of the embezzlement.
From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026
McConnell, who was first minister from 2001 until 2007, told BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast he "would like to see the two parliaments coming together" to investigate the embezzlement.
From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026
Fed up with all the rotten publicity, the Miccosukees announced that they intended to sue Dusty for embezzlement, and evict what was left of the Coral Queen from their “tribal grounds,” meaning the marina.
From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
