What does embezzlement mean?
Embezzlement is a noun denoting the crime of fraudulently taking money or property that has been entrusted to one's care. It typically involves someone in a position of trust — an employee, accountant, treasurer, or public official — who converts funds or assets for their own use rather than simply stealing them outright. What sets embezzlement apart in law is precisely that element of trust: unlike larceny, where property is taken from someone who never surrendered it, the embezzler initially receives the property legitimately and then misappropriates it. The word appears most often in legal documents, court reporting, and news coverage of corporate scandals, as in 'the CFO was convicted of embezzlement.' Its register is formal, and its connotation strongly implies a violation of professional or fiduciary duty. Related terms include the verb 'embezzle' and the agent noun 'embezzler.'
nounThe crime of dishonestly appropriating money or property entrusted to one's care, typically by someone in a position of trust such as an employee or official.
- The fraudulent conversion of money or property by a person to whom it has been entrusted.
"The accountant was convicted of embezzlement after diverting client funds into her personal accounts for nearly a decade."
"After years of skimming from the firm's accounts, the treasurer was finally charged with embezzlement."
"The charity collapsed amid allegations of embezzlement by its former director."
Rarely pluralized; the word is normally uncountable. A plural form occasionally appears when referring to multiple distinct acts or cases of the crime.
"The audit uncovered several embezzlements spanning three fiscal years."
Embezzlement is the only major theft crime where you're given the money first — the betrayal of trust is what turns taking into a felony.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of embezzlement
Embezzlement entered English in the early modern period via Anglo-Norman legal French, deriving from the verb 'embezzle,' which traces back to Old French 'embeziller' meaning to destroy or squander. The term took on its specialized legal sense in English law during the sixteenth century, when statutes began treating the misappropriation of entrusted property as a distinct offence. It remains a standard term of art in both British and American criminal law.
Related word forms
How embezzlement is actually used
A formal, legal term used chiefly in criminal law and journalism about financial crime. It carries a strong connotation of betrayed trust, distinguishing it from ordinary theft.
Easily confused with embezzlement
Larceny is the unlawful taking of property not entrusted to the taker, whereas embezzlement involves property that was legitimately handed over to the offender in trust.