1
as in seizing
to take or make use of under a guise of authority but without actual right
archaeologists wrongfully appropriated artifacts excavated at ancient sites for their museums
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in stealing
to take (something) without right and with an intent to keep
you can't just appropriate somebody's term paper and put your name on it!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of appropriating
In 2021, the Minnetonka shoe company apologized for culturally appropriating Native American culture, and committed to supporting the community.
—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
27 May 2026
At first glance, the pairing might seem like an unconventional one, even though both artists are well known for appropriating others’ images.
—
Maximilíano Durón,
ARTnews.com,
8 May 2026
The Legislature is appropriating $5 million in one-time funding to put toward the fund.
—
Becca Savransky,
Idaho Statesman,
11 Apr. 2026
During Akbar’s conquest of the Malwa region in India, Adham Khan was accused of under-reporting the spoils of the war and appropriating much of it for his own use.
—
Tamanna Nangia,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
On Friday, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee announced the City Council had passed a resolution appropriating up to $900,000 in grant funding to restore the Police Department's cadet program in an effort to boost recruiting numbers.
—
Brad Hamilton,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
Unlike war powers resolutions, which in this case would limit military action after the fact, new spending cannot occur until Congress writes and passes legislation appropriating additional funds.
—
Charlie Hunt,
The Conversation,
11 Mar. 2026
The Salesman was a story about a woman attacked as a metaphor for a blindsided country, the director brilliantly re-appropriating the ultimate American drama Death of a Salesman to make the point.
—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Mar. 2026
When that happened in 2007, Chevron entered a deal to continue operating in the country, but ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil departed, accusing the Venezuelan government of unfairly appropriating billions in assets.
—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Jan. 2026
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
27 May 2026
At first glance, the pairing might seem like an unconventional one, even though both artists are well known for appropriating others’ images.
—
Maximilíano Durón,
ARTnews.com,
8 May 2026
The Legislature is appropriating $5 million in one-time funding to put toward the fund.
—
Becca Savransky,
Idaho Statesman,
11 Apr. 2026
During Akbar’s conquest of the Malwa region in India, Adham Khan was accused of under-reporting the spoils of the war and appropriating much of it for his own use.
—
Tamanna Nangia,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
On Friday, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee announced the City Council had passed a resolution appropriating up to $900,000 in grant funding to restore the Police Department's cadet program in an effort to boost recruiting numbers.
—
Brad Hamilton,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
Unlike war powers resolutions, which in this case would limit military action after the fact, new spending cannot occur until Congress writes and passes legislation appropriating additional funds.
—
Charlie Hunt,
The Conversation,
11 Mar. 2026
The Salesman was a story about a woman attacked as a metaphor for a blindsided country, the director brilliantly re-appropriating the ultimate American drama Death of a Salesman to make the point.
—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Mar. 2026
When that happened in 2007, Chevron entered a deal to continue operating in the country, but ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil departed, accusing the Venezuelan government of unfairly appropriating billions in assets.
—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for appropriating
Verb
-
Authorities served a search warrant at the rescue on May 1, seizing electronics, business records, financial records, firearms, and other evidence, according to the sheriff.
-
For leadership teams worldwide, this requires striking a careful balance between responding to immediate disruption and seizing arising opportunities to bolster growth.
Verb
-
In December 1922, two Black men were abducted from the Pilot Point jail after being accused of stealing horses.
-
Wolfson and her friends would try the stunts at home, stealing shopping carts to push each other into curbs.
Verb
-
In some videos, survivors accused soldiers of looting apartments and confiscating donated supplies—claims that remain difficult to independently verify but have fueled widespread outrage.
-
Amid anecdotal reports that airport security services have been confiscating bottles of ranch dressing that sports tourists have tried to smuggle out of the country, Kraft Heinz came up with a TSA-friendly size of ranch dressing.
Verb
-
The opposition’s narrative that Hollywood is usurping home rule is entirely backward.
-
But even with the UFC’s challenges, no rival promotion has come close to usurping the sport’s power dynamic.
Verb
-
Americans are grabbing their passports and fleeing the country in hopes of leaving the nation’s problems behind.
-
Swanson argues those behind-the-scenes improvements have done more to modernize logistics than many of the industry’s headline-grabbing automation projects.
Verb
-
Egypt brought the calm, cool, collected factors to the shootout, converting on all four attempts from Mahmoud Saber, Rami Rabia, Mohamed Salah and Hossam Abdelmaguid.
-
The key difference lies in the process for converting the fissile material to be bomb usable (chemical reprocessing in the case of plutonium, rather than enrichment, which can be done covertly and in small batches).
Verb
-
The deadline to apply for a $50 million settlement from The Walt Disney Company, linked to a class action case claiming the company helped drive up subscription prices for streaming platforms, is approaching.
-
Jackson beat out fellow finalists Roch Cholowsky (UCLA) and Landon Hairston (Arizona State), to become the second Georgia player to win the award in three seasons, with Charlie Condon claiming it in 2024.
Cite this Entry
“Appropriating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/appropriating. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
