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
“We wanted to apprise incoming first-year students to be careful while embarking on their academic journey at Yale,” Hall told The Associated Press in a phone interview.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 22, 2023
A multi-agency team is conducting the investigation, he said, adding that the team will apprise authorities when they are done with the probe.
From Reuters ● Dec. 9, 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
“I’ve been expecting you. I imagine you wish to call Miss Perumal and apprise her of your situation.”
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
The 22-year-old digital fundraising associate keeps ChatGPT apprised of his symptoms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
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
As you note, your stepsister apprised him of the risks inherent in a revocable trust, the most significant being that its terms could be changed upon his passing.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 26, 2026
The lawyer suggested that Leila keep him apprised of anything happening in the case, such as it was.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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
A villager had reached out to her, and she tweeted at the authorities, apprising them of the problem.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 25, 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
On apprising the chief of this fact, he said that he had nothing but berries to eat, and presented some cakes made of service-berries and choke-cherries which had been dried in the sun.
From Oregon and Eldorado or, Romance of the Rivers by Thomas Bulfinch
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.
