embezzlement

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US/ˌɪmˈbɛzəlmənt/US/ˌəmˈbɛzəlmənt/

noun

The fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner.

“corporate embezzlement”

Similar
misappropriationpeculationdefalcationmisapplication
Less commonScrabble 36
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Meanings

nounembezzlement (countable and uncountable, plural embezzlements)

plural embezzlements

  1. countableuncountablebusinessThe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner.

    corporate embezzlement

    5 more examples

    He was arrested for embezzlement of company funds.

    The case involved large-scale embezzlement.

    charged with embezzlement

    "Embezzlement, sir," commented Mr Carlyle icily. "But what is embezzlement on the top of wholesale murder!"

    1914, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], Max Carrados

    A major accident and embezzlement of its funds seem to have been the only disasters it escaped; and as to the latter, the most probable reason is that it never had any quantity of funds worth embezzling.

    1959 October 28, Michael Robbins, “The Isle of Wight (Newport Junction) Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 721

    Synonyms: misappropriation

    1. countableuncountablebusinessSuch conversion from public property.

      Synonyms: misappropriation, peculation

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner.

Similar
misappropriation

nounSuch conversion from public property.

Similar
misappropriationpeculation

More synonyms by meaning

nounthe fraudulent appropriation of funds or property entrusted to your care but actually owned by someone else

Similar
peculationdefalcationmisapplicationmisappropriation
Broader
larcenytheftthievery
Also see
defalcationmisapplicationmisappropriationpeculation

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From embezzle + -ment.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic اِخْتِلَاس
  • اِخْتِلَاس (iḵtilās)the fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
Bulgarian злоупотреба, присвояване
  • злоупотреба (zloupotreba)the fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
  • присвояване (prisvojavane)the fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
Catalan malversació
  • malversacióthe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
Chinese Mandarin 盜用 /盗用, 侵吞
  • 盜用 /盗用 (dàoyòng)the fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
  • 侵吞 (qīntūn)the fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
  • 侵佔 /侵占 (qīnzhàn)the fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
Czech zpronevěra, defraudace
  • zpronevěrathe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
  • defraudacethe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
Danish underslæb
  • underslæbthe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
Dutch verduistering, zwendel
  • verduisteringthe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
  • zwendelthe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
Esperanto malversacio
  • malversaciothe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
Finnish kavallus
  • kavallusthe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
French détournement
  • détournementthe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
German Unterschlagung, Veruntreuung
  • Unterschlagungthe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
  • Veruntreuungthe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
Greek υπεξαίρεση
  • υπεξαίρεση (ypexaíresi)the fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
Hindi ग़बन
  • ग़बन (ġaban)the fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
Hungarian sikkasztás, hűtlen kezelés
  • sikkasztásthe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
  • hűtlen kezelésthe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
Icelandic fjárdráttur
  • fjárdrátturthe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
Indonesian penggelapan
  • penggelapanthe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
Irish cúigleáil
  • cúigleáilthe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
Italian appropriazione indebita, peculato
  • appropriazione indebitathe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
  • peculatothe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
Japanese 横領, 猫糞
  • 横領 (ōryō)the fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
  • 猫糞 (nekobaba)the fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
Korean 횡령
  • 횡령 (hoengnyeong)the fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
Latin pecūlātus
  • pecūlātusthe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
Lithuanian grobstymas
  • grobstymasthe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
Norwegian underslag
  • underslagthe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
Persian اختلاس
  • اختلاس (extelâs)the fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
Polish sprzeniewierzenie, malwersacja
  • sprzeniewierzeniethe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
  • malwersacjathe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
  • defraudacjathe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
Portuguese peculato, desfalque
  • peculatothe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
  • desfalquethe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
  • estelionatothe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
  • fraudethe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
Russian хище́ние, растра́та
  • хище́ние (xiščénije)the fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
  • растра́та (rastráta)the fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
  • присвое́ние (prisvojénije)the fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
Spanish apropiación indebida, peculado
  • apropiación indebidathe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
  • peculadothe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
  • desfalcothe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
  • malversaciónthe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
Swedish förskingring
  • förskingringthe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
Tagalog panlulustay, paglustay
  • panlulustaythe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
  • paglustaythe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
Thai การยักยอก
  • การยักยอก (gaan-yák-yɔ̂ɔk)the fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
Turkish aşırtı, ihtilas
  • aşırtıthe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
  • ihtilasthe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
  • hortumculukthe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
  • yolsuzlukthe fraudulent conversion of property from a property owner
Cite this entry
APA

embezzlement. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/embezzlement

MLA

“embezzlement.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/embezzlement. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “embezzlement,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/embezzlement.

Source: embezzlement on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.