appraise
Americanverb (used with object)
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appraises,
present (3rd person singular)
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appraised,
past participle, past
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appraising
present participle
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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
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to assess the worth, value, or quality of
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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
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appraisernoun
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misappraiseverb (used with object)
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overappraiseverb (used with object)
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reappraiseverb (used with object)
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appraisableadjective
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appraisiveadjective
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unappraisedadjective
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appraisinglyadverb
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appraisivelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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appraisesimple
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appraisessimple
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have appraisedperfect
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has appraisedperfect
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am appraisingprogressive
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are appraisingprogressive
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is appraisingprogressive
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have been appraisingperfect progressive
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has been appraisingperfect progressive
Past
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appraisedsimple
-
had appraisedperfect
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was appraisingprogressive
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were appraisingprogressive
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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
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The Pearl
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"Of Mice and Men"
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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.
See Examples For:
He said the company has a team mobilized in Venezuela and that it will need to drill exploration wells to appraise the region’s production potential.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
His rings appraise for $50,000 to $250,000, though the market can push them higher.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 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
“He even got a contractor to appraise the damage. Here, this is the estimate.”
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
Assuming the property appraises at the higher purchase price, the seller would receive about $2,680 more before commissions and other transaction costs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
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
He appraises the chance of a Buffett deal as good.
From Reuters ● Jul. 15, 2022
She would hark back to the primal impulse of each bit of imagery, and she analyzes and appraises each word and line with the zeal and skill of a connoisseur.
From The Vitalized School by Francis B. Pearson
That is leading investors and fund managers to get struggling projects appraised at fair market value.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
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
The middle ground: He should have brought the sealant in the first place, given that you identified and appraised him of the problem prior to his arrival on the first occasion.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 7, 2026
The bald knight appraised Jeanne’s mother and then nodded.
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
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
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
Star, meanwhile, said Mrs Macron had "great talent" when appraising her performance.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2024
Beside the calm, sane, appraising eyes of the dogs, her eyes looked crazy.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
