misappropriate

M3I1S1A1P3P3R1O1P3R1I1A1T1E1
UK/ˌmɪs.əˈpɹəʊ.pɹɪ.eɪt/US/ˌmɪs.əˈpɹoʊ.pɹi.eɪt/

verb

To take something for wrong or illegal purposes.

“The accountant was found to have misappropriated funds over a period of three years.”

Similar
misusedefalcateembezzlepeculatesiphonmalversate
OriginEnglish appropriate ← Middle English mys- ← Old English mis- →
RareScrabble 22
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Meanings

verbmisappropriate (third-person singular simple present misappropriates, present participle misappropriating, simple past and past participle misappropriated)

present singular third person misappropriates · participle present misappropriating · participle past misappropriated · past misappropriated

  1. transitiveTo take something for wrong or illegal purposes.

    Synonyms: misuse

  2. transitiveTo embezzle.

    The accountant was found to have misappropriated funds over a period of three years.

    Synonyms: defalcate, embezzle, peculate, siphon

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo take something for wrong or illegal purposes.

Similar
misuse

verbTo embezzle.

Similar
defalcateembezzlepeculatesiphon

More synonyms by meaning

verbappropriate (as property entrusted to one's care) fraudulently to one's own use

Similar
embezzledefalcatepeculatemalversate
Broader
stealrip offrip
Also see
defalcateembezzlemalappropriatepeculatesiphonsteal

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*mey-?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*meyth₂-
  3. Proto-Germanic*missaz
  4. Proto-Germanic*missa-
  5. Proto-West Germanic*missa-
  6. Old Englishmis-
  7. Middle Englishmys-
  8. Englishmis-
  9. Englishappropriate
  10. Englishmisappropriate

From mis- + appropriate.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian злоупотребявам
  • злоупотребявам (zloupotrebjavam)to use something wrongly, or illegally
Czech zpronevěřovat, zpronevěřit
  • zpronevěřovatto use something wrongly, or illegally
  • zpronevěřitto use something wrongly, or illegally
Polish sprzeniewierzyć, sprzeniewierzać
  • sprzeniewierzyćto use something wrongly, or illegally
  • sprzeniewierzaćto use something wrongly, or illegally
Cite this entry
APA

misappropriate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/misappropriate

MLA

“misappropriate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/misappropriate. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “misappropriate,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/misappropriate.

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