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
Authorities say that as the chief executive officer of Afrique Hospitality Group, Shariff obtained, misappropriated and laundered millions of dollars in program funds that were intended as reimbursements for the cost of serving meals to children.
—
Kristi Miller, Twin Cities, 26 Jan. 2025
Trump used Section 301 to impose billions of dollars in tariffs of Chinese imports in his first go-around as president, after a USTR investigation found China was misappropriating U.S. intellectual property and coercing the transfer of U.S. technology to Chinese firms.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 14 Jan. 2025
Keener’s scheme involved misappropriating insurance reimbursement checks for supplemental repairs by writing off the work as a loss, indicating in the accounts payable system that the insurance company had refused reimbursement, according to court documents.
—Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2025
The company goes on to say the infringing product depraves Levi’s its rights to use and control its trademark and maintain its reputation with consumers, licensees and collaborators and allows others to believe the distinctive features of the Tab trademark may be misappropriated for their use.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 3 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Misappropriate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misappropriate. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.
Kids 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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