What does embezzled mean?
Embezzled describes money, property, or other assets that have been fraudulently taken or misappropriated by someone who was legitimately entrusted with them — an accountant siphoning off company profits, a trustee diverting charity donations, or a public official pocketing public funds. As the past form of the verb embezzle, it can function either as a verb ("she embezzled thousands") or as an adjective ("embezzled savings"). What sets embezzled apart from simply "stolen" is the element of trust and authority: the wrongdoer usually has lawful access to the assets and abuses that access over time, often concealing the activity through falsified records. The word carries a formal, legal connotation and appears chiefly in courtrooms, audit reports, and journalism about white-collar crime. Its Anglo-French roots trace back to a verb meaning to ravage or lay waste, lending the term a quietly dramatic force beneath its bureaucratic surface.
Past simple and past participle of embezzle: to have stolen or misappropriated money or property that one was entrusted to manage.
"The bookkeeper embezzled nearly half a million dollars before the discrepancy was noticed."
Used almost exclusively in formal, legal, and journalistic registers.
Having been stolen or misappropriated by someone entrusted with its custody.
"Prosecutors presented records showing how the embezzled funds were laundered through offshore accounts."
Most commonly appears attributively, as in 'embezzled funds' or 'embezzled property'.
The word comes from an old Anglo-French term meaning "to batter down" or "lay waste" — so when you embezzle funds, you're linguistically demolishing them.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of embezzled
Embezzled derives from the verb embezzle, which entered English in the late 16th century from Anglo-Norman and Middle French forms such as embeseiller. The French root besiller meant to ravage, destroy, or lay waste, so the original sense carried the image of ruin rather than mere pilfering. Over time the English sense narrowed specifically to the fraudulent appropriation of entrusted funds. Closely related derivative forms such as embezzlement and embezzler developed alongside the verb in legal usage.
Related word forms
How embezzled is actually used
Formal and legal register; almost always appears in contexts of white-collar crime, audits, trials, and news reporting. The adjectival use before a noun ("embezzled funds") is especially common. It implies breach of trust, distinguishing it from ordinary theft vocabulary.
Easily confused with embezzled
"Embossed" means decorated with a raised design on a surface, while "embezzled" means having had entrusted money or property fraudulently taken.