misappropriate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to put to a wrong use.
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to apply wrongfully or dishonestly, as funds entrusted to one's care.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of misappropriate
First recorded in 1855–60; mis- 1 + appropriate
Explanation
When you misappropriate something, you steal it, or otherwise use it in a way its owner didn't intend. You might hear the phrase "to misappropriate funds" on the news — usually what this means is that someone who has access to money at work has stolen some of it. A banker might misappropriate money, for example, paying himself a bonus, or the manager of a charity might misappropriate donations, using them to buy herself a new car. Misappropriate combines the prefix mis, "bad or wrong," and appropriate, "take possession of."
Vocabulary lists containing misappropriate
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.
The most famous case involved the Gupta brothers—Ajay, Atul and Rajesh—who were accused of using ties to the ANC to engage in corruption and bribery to misappropriate state assets, according to the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 21, 2025
Kenyan academic Karuti Kanyinga agrees that the social media content feeds into a desire for accountable leaders who can change Africa, do not misappropriate resources and try to uplift people from poverty.
From BBC • Jul. 8, 2025
In early August, Azotam began to illegally convert and misappropriate the Knicks’ confidential and proprietary data, the lawsuit said.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 21, 2023
"It was wrong to misappropriate and disseminate Coinbase's property."
From Reuters • Feb. 7, 2023
"Which means," Martin commented, cynically, to his sister, "that I am not likely to misappropriate the funds, or go blabbing to our Charge d'Affaires here."
From Nostromo, a Tale of the Seaboard by Conrad, Joseph
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.
