misappropriation

American  

[mis-uh-proh-pree-ey-shuhn] / ˌmɪs əˌproʊ priˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. wrongful use, especially the dishonest or inappropriate use of others’ money, data, etc..

   He pled guilty to multiple counts of misappropriation of public funds and falsifying public documents, and received a four-year prison sentence.

   Database owners are concerned about the possible commercial misappropriation of their products.

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Etymology

Origin of misappropriation

mis- ¹ ( def. ) + appropriation ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

misappropriation

Acts of Man are human-made but not policy-driven, including frauds such as Edwin Ludlow’s misappropriation of funds from the Ohio Life Insurance and Trust Co. in 1857, or the savings-and-loan failures in the mid-1980s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

Fischer said she believes that there is “way more” insider trading and misappropriation in these markets than law enforcement is able to catch.

From MarketWatch ● May 28, 2026

Last month his wife Begoña Gómez was charged with embezzlement, influence peddling, corruption in business dealings and misappropriation of funds.

From BBC ● May 27, 2026

The anti-corruption association had filed a complaint in December 2025 over the misappropriation of public funds, following an article in French investigative weekly Le Canard Enchaine.

From Barron's ● May 7, 2026

There was even a former Conservative functionary who had taken refuge in the revolt to escape a judgment for misappropriation of funds.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Related Words

• desecration
• exploitation
• misconduct
• misdeed
• mishandling
• misuse
• prostitution
• wrongdoing