apprise
1 Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used with object)
verb
Etymology
Origin of apprise
First recorded in 1685–95; from French appris “taught, informed,” past participle of apprendre; see apprehend
Explanation
To apprise someone about something is to fill them in, to give them the scoop. If someone in your immediate family wins the mega-bucks lottery, you want to be the first one to be apprised of that event! Don't confuse the verbs apprise and appraise. Appraise means to determine the value of something — either its quality or its monetary worth. Apprise, on the other hand, means to inform or make aware. This word has a rather formal, weighty tone. Presidents get apprised of foreign affairs, but you will most likely not get apprised of weather conditions or dinner plans.
Vocabulary lists containing apprise
ASVAB Word Knowledge
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce
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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:
The address is prescribed by the Constitution and calls for the president to apprise Congress about the state of the union.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2026
Once he rules, Merchan said, he will hold a hybrid conference — lawyers in court, Trump appearing by video — where he will apprise him of the dos and don’ts of his impending order.
From Seattle Times ● May 4, 2023
Both sides had been expected to apprise U.S.
From Reuters ● Nov. 10, 2022
This one, for Crypto.com, stars LeBron James, who has traveled back in time to 2003 to apprise his younger self about all of the marvels that the future holds in store.
From Slate ● Feb. 14, 2022
Your job is a simple one: apprise Nicole’s teachers of her special needs.
From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin
Jaishankar said he "apprised Secretary Rubio of challenges that legitimate travellers face in respect of visa issuance".
From Barron's ● May 24, 2026
Each week, Slate’s Shirin Ali surfaces important, under-the-radar legal news and keeps you apprised of all that is going on with our Jurisprudence team.
From Slate ● Mar. 7, 2026
Collins recently reached two years without a drink — something he was apprised of by his assistant, who marked the occasion by bringing him a “2” balloon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 22, 2026
Or, “I am following the guidelines of the trust and keeping little Laura’s parents apprised of all actions. If you want to discuss it, you should ask them.”
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 16, 2026
Throughout my time at the Clinic he had kept Chapter Eleven apprised of the situation in only the simplest terms.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
His complaint alleges the government obtained the warrant in bad faith, and without apprising the magistrate judge of Lindell’s role in the Colorado case.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 21, 2022
The Post on Thursday appended to Heard’s op-ed an editor’s note apprising readers of this week’s developments.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 3, 2022
"We are calling people right now apprising them of the situation so they can make other plans," he said.
From Reuters ● Jul. 3, 2014
A relative of Mr. MacLeod’s who worked in McClelland & Stewart’s warehouse was charged with apprising him of novelistic developments.
From New York Times ● Apr. 24, 2014
The same express carried a letter from him to the New York Convention, at that time holding its sessions at White Plains in Westchester County, apprising it of the impending danger.
From The Student's Life of Washington; Condensed from the Larger Work of Washington Irving For Young Persons and for the Use of Schools by Irving, Washington
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.
