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
“Would you, ahem, would you please wait until seven p.m., to allow me to apprise my corporate headquarters of recent developments?”
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
Discretion that is “suitably directed and limited” would “ensure … the sentencing authority is apprised of the information relevant to the imposition of sentence and provided with standards to guide its use of that information.”
From Slate ● Jun. 8, 2026
Jaishankar said he "apprised Secretary Rubio of challenges that legitimate travellers face in respect of visa issuance".
From Barron's ● May 24, 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
Though I didn’t own a thermometer, Karl had kept me apprised of the temperature.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
At a Menlo Park, California, branch, customers were greeted by a taped up press release apprising them the bank had moved into receivership and would be known as Deposit Insurance National Bank of Santa Clara.
From Reuters ● Mar. 10, 2023
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
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
In apprising Mr. von Osten of this fact we caused a veritable catastrophe.
From Clever Hans (The horse of Mr. Von Osten): A contribution to experimental animal and human psychology by Pfungst, Oskar
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.
