MISAPPROPRIATED Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

misappropriated

verb

past tense of misappropriate

as in stole

to take (something) without right and with an intent to keep a financial manager misappropriating funds from her clients' accounts

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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 misappropriated Court findings, shared in 2025, showed that nearly 72% of the sheriff’s office spending was misattributed or misappropriated. — Yana Kunichoff, ProPublica, 18 Sep. 2026 That’s one reason there are so many arguments over the value of a team, or an athlete, or sports more generally, as more and more money chases something essentially priceless—or misappropriated, depending on your view. — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026 Every dollar misappropriated by a fraudulent operator is a dollar taken directly from an individual struggling with depression, addiction or severe mental illness. — Richard Popiel, Boston Herald, 30 Aug. 2026 After a grand jury report found that Florida misappropriated $10 million in taxpayer money, the DeSantis administration is arguing that the anonymous leak of the report was the only crime committed. — Liv Caputo, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026 Three months ago, a DHS employee was found to have misappropriated almost $2 million from the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. — Brenna Witchey, Oklahoma Watch, 25 Aug. 2026 The judge, however, said Monday that Ramco failed to offer evidence that Prasad misappropriated hospital funds. — Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 1 June 2026 The court also discovered that Shi misappropriated funds amounting to about $22 million for personal use for more than three months without repayment between 2012 and 2022, among other findings, the report added. — Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026 The money was instead misappropriated for her own benefit, with significant sums of the fraud redirected to gambling expenses. — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 20 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for misappropriated

Verb

Deputies said that the men stole roughly $3,330 worth of diesel as fuel prices reached all-time highs.

— Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
Her boyfriend Tom Arnold becomes a writer/producer and complains that someone there stole his love letters and sold out his steamy relationship with Roseanne to the National Enquirer.

— Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of stole

Verb

Some anti-hate groups view the use of the nose emoji as antisemitic, while goy is a term that has been appropriated by those who espouse antisemitic views.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
And this year, the Legislature appropriated $29 million to speed up counting much more.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of appropriated

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misappropriate

misappropriated

misappropriates

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“Misappropriated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misappropriated. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of misappropriated

verb

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