appropriation
the act of appropriating or taking possession of something, often without permission or consent.
anything appropriated for a special purpose, especially money.
an act of a legislature authorizing money to be paid from the treasury for a specified use.
the money thus authorized: a large appropriation for aid to libraries.
Origin of appropriation
1Other words from appropriation
- pro·ap·pro·pri·a·tion, adjective
- re·ap·pro·pri·a·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use appropriation in a sentence
There’s a fine line between elevating the voices of people of color and appropriation.
Take your campaigns to deeper levels by disrupting the peace | Max Braun | December 24, 2020 | Search Engine WatchIt felt like I was watching a lame reappropriation of the paradise scenes in Punch-Drunk Love.
Emmys 2013: What Show Should Win It All? Our Critics Debate | Kevin Fallon, Marlow Stern | September 21, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
British Dictionary definitions for appropriation
/ (əˌprəʊprɪˈeɪʃən) /
the act of setting apart or taking for one's own use
a sum of money set apart for a specific purpose, esp by a legislature
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for appropriation
The grant of money by a legislature for some specific purpose. The authority to grant appropriations, popularly known as the power of the purse, gives legislatures a powerful check over executive branches and judicial branches, for no public money can be spent without legislative approval. Congress, for example, can approve or reject the annual budget requests of the executive branch for its agencies and programs, thereby influencing both domestic and foreign policy. (See also checks and balances and pork-barrel legislation.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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