misappropriate
verb
mis·ap·pro·pri·ate
ˌmi-sə-ˈprō-prē-ˌāt 
misappropriated; misappropriating; misappropriates
: to appropriate wrongly (as by theft or embezzlement)
Examples of misappropriate in a Sentence
They accused him of misappropriating town funds.
a financial manager misappropriating funds from her clients' accounts
Recent Examples on the Web
Granted, Becerra has had a hard week, with a gaffe with a reporter that went viral and a plea deal by a former aide in that case of money misappropriated from his dormant campaign account.
—
Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2026
He was also accused of deceiving escrow agents to secure the release of pre-construction condominium deposits and then misappropriated those funds for personal expenses unrelated to the developments.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 15 May 2026
He was arrested and charged with misappropriating insurance settlement funds in the wrongful death suit that followed the trip and fall death of housekeeper Satterfield.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 13 May 2026
He was also caught misappropriating insurance proceeds after the 2018 death of his housekeeper Gloria Satterfield.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for misappropriate
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Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2026
He was also accused of deceiving escrow agents to secure the release of pre-construction condominium deposits and then misappropriated those funds for personal expenses unrelated to the developments.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 15 May 2026
He was arrested and charged with misappropriating insurance settlement funds in the wrongful death suit that followed the trip and fall death of housekeeper Satterfield.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 13 May 2026
He was also caught misappropriating insurance proceeds after the 2018 death of his housekeeper Gloria Satterfield.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for misappropriate
Cite this Entry
“Misappropriate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misappropriate. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
misappropriate
verb
mis·ap·pro·pri·ate
ˌmis-ə-ˈprō-prē-ˌāt
: to appropriate wrongly
especially
: to take dishonestly for one's own use
Legal Definition
misappropriate
transitive verb
mis·ap·pro·pri·ate
ˌmi-sə-ˈprō-prē-ˌāt
: to appropriate wrongfully or unlawfully (as by theft or embezzlement)
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