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 OED traced the origin of woke’s newer definition to a 1962 New York Times article by Black author William Melvin Kelley describing how white beatniks were appropriating Black slang at the time.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2023

No matter how goodhearted the sisters, they argued, they were appropriating the victims’ sacred memory.

From Newsweek • Aug. 8, 2010

In the twelfth century the ecclesiastical forces were appropriating to their use whatever secular rights and possessions came within their grasp.

From Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern, Vol. 16 by Various

Then, after the Restoration, the landlords conceived the idea of appropriating the right of representation, as they had appropriated and were appropriating the common lands.

From The Emancipation of Massachusetts by Adams, Brooks

They were appropriating chairs which would place the plumes of their hats within a few inches of his feet.

From The Silent Barrier by Tracy, Louis