appraise
Americanverb (used with object)
-
appraises,
present (3rd person singular)
-
appraised,
past participle, past
-
appraising
present participle
-
to estimate the monetary value of; determine the worth of; assess.
We had an expert appraise the house before we bought it.
-
to estimate the nature, quality, importance, etc..
He tried to appraise the poetry of John Updike.
verb
-
to assess the worth, value, or quality of
-
to make a valuation of, as for taxation purposes
Usage
Appraise is sometimes wrongly used where apprise is meant: they had been apprised ( not appraised ) of my arrival
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
appraisernoun
-
misappraiseverb (used with object)
-
overappraiseverb (used with object)
-
reappraiseverb (used with object)
-
appraisableadjective
-
appraisiveadjective
-
unappraisedadjective
-
appraisinglyadverb
-
appraisivelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
appraisesimple
-
appraisessimple
-
have appraisedperfect
-
has appraisedperfect
-
am appraisingprogressive
-
are appraisingprogressive
-
is appraisingprogressive
-
have been appraisingperfect progressive
-
has been appraisingperfect progressive
Past
-
appraisedsimple
-
had appraisedperfect
-
was appraisingprogressive
-
were appraisingprogressive
-
had been appraisingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of appraise
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English apraysen “to set a value on”; probably equivalent to a conflation of apprize 1 and praise (with the sense of prize 2 )
Explanation
When you buy a house someone will need to appraise its value before you can get a mortgage. To appraise something is to figure out its worth in the marketplace, on the field, or in the world of ideas. To appraise the value of a friendship is difficult, but to appraise the value of your grandfather’s pocket watch — just go to the pawn shop. The verb appraise comes from the Late Latin word appretiare, which means “value” or “estimate.” You can appraise your chances of marrying royalty, which are probably slim. You can also appraise the value of a quarterback on your fantasy football team by looking at the statistics for his completed passes.
Vocabulary lists containing appraise
Of Mice and Men
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Pearl
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Of Mice and Men"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Ms. de Graaf is similarly skeptical of the question’s usefulness and helpfully describes what she calls “epistemic” rationality: It involves “the way you appraise reality. Maybe you appraise it differently from other people.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
If your husband wants to appraise his children of your estate plan, he can do that.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 10, 2026
YouTube Recap doesn't just appraise your music tastes, but all those weird cat videos you watched in the middle of the night instead of sleeping.
From BBC ● Dec. 3, 2025
That’s a huge time-saver for insurance agents or restoration specialists looking to appraise a property.
From Slate ● Jul. 25, 2025
But it was really the vast polished dining room table I’d come to appraise.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
The ceramics and glass expert, with Lyon & Turnbull auctioneers in Edinburgh, joined the BBC programme in 2018 as one of the specialists who appraises objects brought in by members of the public.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
“There is a bid/ask spread just like there is for any other traded asset,” explained Trip Brannen, chief financial officer at Coinfully, a company that appraises and purchases coins.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 31, 2025
We follow her gaze as she studies, appraises and, with a frown, corrects her work.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2023
He appraises the chance of a Buffett deal as good.
From Reuters ● Jul. 15, 2022
Rather was he regarding it as one who calmly appraises a beautiful jewel he does not covet.
From The Forfeit by Ridgwell Cullum
Advisers are helping clients minimize their tax hits through strategies like harvesting capital losses and getting struggling projects appraised.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
Looking back, he said it was "quite evident that nobody was fully appraised of the potential hazard that they were exposed to".
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Capital Group declined to confirm the reported $ 210 million sale price, but the building was last appraised in late 2024 at $212.5 million, down from $605 million 10 years earlier, according to Bloomberg.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026
That said, my siblings and I got tired of the whining and agreed that she would only have to pay the lesser of $3 million or the appraised price of the house.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 19, 2026
The Corporal appraised them, then turned to the tavern keeper.
From "The Fighting Ground" by Avi
Still, Mr. Turley observes, the newly independent Americans’ rage “would prove transformative for many framers in appraising the promise and the perils of democratic systems.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
Buffett’s success hinges on his skills as a value investor, “always appraising stocks as fractional-ownership interests in businesses that he planned to hold over the long term,” said the manager of the $23.5 billion fund.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 19, 2025
Referring to guidance from the Treasury on appraising politics, programmes and projects in terms of their financial impact known as the Green Book test, Wearmouth added: "We need to lobby to change that."
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2025
She wasn't interested to know that Clyde, appraising us from his teeny terrarium, was a near-doppelgänger for the 16 1/2-year-old companion I had lost a few months before.
From Salon ● Dec. 6, 2024
Then she moved away, stepping back and crossing her arms, and gave Ash an appraising look.
From "Ash" by Malinda Lo
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.
