embezzle
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
- embezzlement noun
- embezzler noun
- nonembezzlement noun
- unembezzled adjective
Etymology
Origin of embezzle
1375–1425; late Middle English embesilen < Anglo-French embeseiller to destroy, make away with, equivalent to em- em- 1 + beseiller, Old French beseiller to destroy < ?
Explanation
When a person embezzles, it usually means that he is stealing money from his employer. If he is caught embezzling, it probably also means that he will soon be unemployed. The word embezzle implies more than simply "to steal." When a person embezzles, he or she takes advantage of an employer's trust for personal gain. Embezzling is a so-called "white-collar crime" which often involves some sort of cover-up, like falsifying financial records or stealing small amounts of money over a long period of time. The word embezzle comes from an Old French word meaning "maltreat or ravage," besillier, and an embezzler can be said to ravage someone else's money.
Vocabulary lists containing embezzle
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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.
The wife of Ali Bongo, whose family ruled the central African country with an iron fist for 55 years, had been accused of manipulating her husband to embezzle taxpayers' money.
From Barron's • Nov. 12, 2025
Federal prosecutors allege Navarro set up a sham charity, called the United Latino Foundation, to embezzle money for his personal use.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2025
Some plots intended to embezzle funds and defraud unions and employee benefit plans, officials say.
From BBC • Nov. 11, 2023
Vows: After her ex-husband used her identity to embezzle money, she swore never to marry again.
From New York Times • Jul. 9, 2023
Unfortunately Mr. Haslette rudely slices the knot of his difficulty by making Edmund embezzle money and abscond at the critical point of the story.
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 146, June 17, 1914 by Seaman, Owen, Sir
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.
