misappropriate

[ mis-uh-proh-pree-eyt ]
See synonyms for misappropriate on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),mis·ap·pro·pri·at·ed, mis·ap·pro·pri·at·ing.
  1. to put to a wrong use.

  2. to apply wrongfully or dishonestly, as funds entrusted to one's care.

Origin of misappropriate

1
First recorded in 1855–60; mis-1 + appropriate

Other words from misappropriate

  • mis·ap·pro·pri·a·tion [mis-uh-proh-pree-ey-shuhn] /ˌmɪs əˌproʊ priˈeɪ ʃən/ noun

Words Nearby misappropriate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use misappropriate in a sentence

  • Those who collect taxes without being duly authorized by Government, or misappropriate public funds.

    The Philippine Islands | John Foreman
  • A dihydroxyl derivative of one of the latter is in use under the somewhat misappropriate name of “alizarin black.”

    Coal | Raphael Meldola
  • How is it to be known whether the parents misappropriate the fund of a child, or favour one more than another?

    Comrades | Thomas Dixon
  • I asked her if it would not be very easy for him to misappropriate a scudo now and then.

    The Story of My Life, volumes 4-6 | Augustus J. C. Hare
  • Am I willing to be a thief and misappropriate their physical, mental and moral heritage?

    Facts And Fictions Of Life | Helen H. Gardener

British Dictionary definitions for misappropriate

misappropriate

/ (ˌmɪsəˈprəʊprɪˌeɪt) /


verb
  1. (tr) to appropriate for a wrong or dishonest use; embezzle or steal

Derived forms of misappropriate

  • misappropriation, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012