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
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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:
The document states that a majority of the seven-member board must be U.S. citizens at all times, and the U.S. government can appoint one “non-voting observer” to join the group.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
It was the capital of Thuringia, which in 1930 became the first German state to appoint a Nazi minister.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
During that event, she promised to hire a chief financial officer to improve coordination between city agencies and appoint a new recovery czar for the burned areas of Pacific Palisades.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
As a safety measure, a person can set up a dual power of attorney — that is, appoint two or more people as agents.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
He smiled and said, “That’s your opinion. But the law is the law. If you don’t hire an attorney yourself, the court will appoint one.”
From "The Stranger" by Albert Camus
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
Newsom appoints members to the foundation board, which determines what expenses to cover in the governor’s office.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 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
Under the leasehold system, the freeholder appoints a managing agent to maintain and service the common parts of a building.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 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
The rest would be appointed by the mayor.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
Previously head of the air force, Davies was appointed chief of New Zealand's military in 2024.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026
Earlier this year, it appointed private-equity partner Ramona Nee to replace Barry Wolf, who has served as the firm’s leader for 16 years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit found that Habba was not lawfully appointed to that post as well, disqualifying her from the position.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026
“Don’t even speak of such a thing! You know if a wedding does not take place at the appointed time, some evil is sure to come to the bride.”
From "Homeless Bird" by Gloria Whelan
On Thursday Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that she was appointing Letitia James as a special prosecutor to investigate the alleged 2024 gang rape at Cornell University.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 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
Sparks says she wants a new approach, appointing a first-ever head of local product creation for China at the vice-president level, who will report to her.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 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
She was close with both his son and Princess Nehemia; would appointing her somehow be a risk?
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
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