What does misappropriate mean?
Misappropriate means to take or use money, property, or entrusted resources in a way that is wrong, unauthorized, or contrary to their intended purpose. Its strongest typical use concerns financial or organizational misconduct: a treasurer may misappropriate funds, or an employee may divert company money for personal use. The word is formal and carries a strongly accusatory tone, suggesting dishonesty or misuse of trust rather than a simple administrative error. It can also be used more broadly when a resource, opportunity, or idea is applied to the wrong purpose. The related noun is misappropriation, which is especially common in legal, financial, and investigative reporting. Because it clearly combines the idea of an improper action with a resource that should have been used or allocated properly, the word is especially useful when describing financial irregularities and breaches of fiduciary responsibility.
verbTo take or use money, property, or entrusted resources for an improper or unauthorized purpose. It can also refer more generally to applying something to the wrong use.
- To take or use money, property, or other entrusted resources for an improper or unauthorized purpose.
- More generally, to apply a resource or opportunity to the wrong purpose.
"The treasurer misappropriated funds intended for the charity and concealed the losses in the annual accounts."
"The employee misappropriated company funds to cover personal debts."
"The charity accused the former director of misappropriating donations meant for disaster relief."
The prefix mis- turns appropriate, meaning to set something aside for the right use, into a warning label for money or property being diverted to the wrong purpose.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does misappropriate come from?
Misappropriate was formed in the 19th century from the prefix mis-, meaning wrongly, and appropriate, meaning to set aside or assign for a particular purpose. Appropriate itself comes through French from Latin appropriare, built on ad-, meaning to, and proprius, meaning one's own or proper. The same Latin root is reflected in words such as property, proper, and appropriation, which explains the shared sense of assigning something to the right owner or purpose.
Related word forms
How misappropriate is actually used
The term is formal and strongly negative. It most often describes the improper use of money, property, or resources held in a position of trust, and may imply dishonesty or a breach of duty.
Easily confused with misappropriate
Appropriate means to allocate or use something correctly and for its intended purpose, whereas misappropriate means to use it improperly or for an unauthorized purpose.