appoint
Americanverb (used with object)
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appoints,
present (3rd person singular)
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appointed,
past participle, past
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appointing
present participle
-
to name or assign to a position, an office, or the like; designate.
to appoint a new treasurer; to appoint a judge to the bench.
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to determine by authority or agreement; fix; set.
to appoint a time for the meeting.
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Law. to designate (a person) to take the benefit of an estate created by a deed or will.
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to provide with what is necessary; equip; furnish.
They appointed the house with all the latest devices.
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Archaic. to order or establish by decree or command; ordain; constitute.
laws appointed by God.
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Obsolete. to point at by way of censure.
verb (used without object)
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appoints,
present (3rd person singular)
-
appointed,
past participle, past
-
appointing
present participle
verb
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(also intr) to assign officially, as for a position, responsibility, etc
he was appointed manager
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to establish by agreement or decree; fix
a time was appointed for the duel
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to prescribe or ordain
laws appointed by tribunal
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property law to nominate (a person), under a power granted in a deed or will, to take an interest in property
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to equip with necessary or usual features; furnish
a well-appointed hotel
Synonym Usage
See furnish.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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appointernoun
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misappointverb (used with object)
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reappointverb (used with object)
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appointableadjective
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unappointableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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appointsimple
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appointssimple
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have appointedperfect
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has appointedperfect
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am appointingprogressive
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are appointingprogressive
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is appointingprogressive
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have been appointingperfect progressive
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has been appointingperfect progressive
Past
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appointedsimple
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had appointedperfect
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was appointingprogressive
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were appointingprogressive
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had been appointingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of appoint
1325–75; Middle English apointen, from Middle French apointer, equivalent to a- a- 5 + pointer “to point ”
Explanation
The President can appoint someone as ambassador to another county; that means to give them the job or recommend them for it. It must be nice to be appointed. Usually, people who want a job have to send in applications, do interviews, and jump through lots of hoops. Appointing is different: someone with the power to appoint can usually just give you the job. In some cases, appointing isn't a sure thing and means something closer to "recommending" — but it still beats filling out all those applications. It takes power to appoint people, which is why world leaders are often the ones appointing.
Vocabulary lists containing appoint
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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:
It also ordered 10 Singapore-registered firms to appoint assessors to examine their operations.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026
A hearing to appoint that therapist is scheduled for Nov. 4.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
If its notice to appoint adminstrators is approved, the management team will be given breathing space to look for a rescue deal.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
The company’s Long-Term Benefit Trust will have the power to appoint a majority of Anthropic’s board, through its control of the sole share of Anthropic’s Class T stock.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
Your banqueting young lords are here in force, I gather, from the fumes of mutton roasting and strum of harping—harping, which the gods appoint sweet friend of feasts!”
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
Mayor Karen Bass is the chair of Metro and appoints airport commissioners.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
The amended merger agreement also removes a requirement that ON Semiconductor appoints a member of Synaptics’ board of directors to its own board.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
King Mohammed VI, the 63-year-old monarch, appoints the prime minister from the political party that comes first in the election, but also presides over the Council of Ministers - the country's most important policy-making body.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
If you die while a named child is still a minor, the account is frozen until a court appoints a guardian.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
Then Mittelstaedt makes them practise skirmishing, and as a favour appoints Kantorek squad leader.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
Rudolph Randa, chief judge of a Wisconsin district court, said in 2007 that he would take senior status if and only if a successor was appointed before George W. Bush left office.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
A new president of the Central Bank of Paraguay has been appointed and Congress has approved a process to pay depositors.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
After a 15-year hiatus, he was back in 2014, this time as a bishop appointed by Pope Francis to administer the diocese of Chiclayo.
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026
California Supreme Court Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero became the first Latina to occupy that role when Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed her in 2023.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
After medical school, he was appointed a surgeon in the US Navy.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
The administration should then seize this emerging opportunity by appointing a board for the Virgin Islands in tandem with reopening the refinery.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
Authorities initially declined to press charges, but the investigation was reopened Monday, with New York Governor Kathy Hochul later appointing the state's top prosecutor to see it through.
From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026
Wells Fargo WFC -1.50%decrease; down pointing triangle Bank is appointing Chief Operating Officer Scott Powell as its next chief risk officer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Seven years apart, United did the same thing twice hoping for different results - appointing a club legend who last managed in Britain in the Championship after a good start as caretaker boss.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
Mayor Grabarek ended the meeting by postponing any decision on the Bacon Street project and appointing a committee to look into black demands.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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