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.
Chey denied the embezzlement allegation, saying the transactions were legitimate corporate investments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
He faces three felony counts of grand theft by embezzlement and one felony count of insufficient checking funds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
After her conviction for embezzlement last year, it became clear Le Pen would need a Plan B and eventually she anointed Bardella as her stand-in candidate.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
Peinado in April formally charged Gomez with embezzlement, influence peddling, corruption in business dealings and misappropriation of funds.
From Barron's ● Jun. 20, 2026
“Federal authorities are looking for this woman. Her name is Julie Callahan, and she’s a local businesswoman here in Chicago. She’s accused of embezzlement, Mariah. Can you believe that?”
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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.
