What does embezzle mean?
To embezzle is to steal money or property that has been entrusted to your care, most often by an employee, treasurer, accountant, or public official who has legitimate access to it. Unlike ordinary theft, which involves taking something from someone with no right of access, embezzling is defined by a breach of trust: the perpetrator converts funds they were authorised to handle into their own use. The word carries a formal, legal register and appears frequently in court reports, financial journalism, and corporate governance discussions. Typical collocations include 'embezzle funds' and 'embezzle millions'. Related forms are 'embezzlement', the name of the offence itself, and 'embezzler', the person who commits it. Because white-collar crimes of this kind can unfold over years before detection, the word often features in stories of prolonged deception finally uncovered by auditors.
verbTo steal or misappropriate money or property entrusted to one's care, especially by an employee or public official who has legitimate access to the funds.
- To dishonestly appropriate money or property entrusted to one's care, especially as an employee or official.
"The accountant was convicted of embezzling nearly two million dollars from the firm over a decade."
"Over five years, she managed to embezzle more than £400,000 from the charity without anyone noticing."
"The treasurer was charged with embezzling club funds to pay off personal gambling debts."
The word 'embezzle' comes from an Old French word meaning to ravage or destroy — fitting, since embezzlers often leave their employers financially ruined.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of embezzle
Embezzle derives from Anglo-French 'embesiler', from Old French 'besillier', meaning to ravage, destroy, or lay waste. It entered English in the late 15th century, originally carrying the broader sense of destroying or wasting, before narrowing by the 16th–17th centuries to its modern legal sense of misappropriating entrusted funds. It shares the common English prefix pattern of verbs formed with 'be-' plus a French-derived root.
Related word forms
How embezzle is actually used
Formal and chiefly used in legal and journalistic contexts. The crime typically involves a breach of trust — the offender had lawful access to the funds — which distinguishes it legally from simple larceny. The noun forms are 'embezzlement' (the act) and 'embezzler' (the person).
Easily confused with embezzle
Swindling is defrauding someone through deception in a transaction, whereas embezzling is secretly taking money already entrusted to you.