embezzle
verb
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English is full of verbs that mean “to steal” (such as pilfer, rob, swipe, plunder, filch, and thieve). But when it comes to stealing property (and in this context, money is a kind of property) that has been entrusted to you, embezzle wins the prize. The word most often refers to theft of company or government funds that one has charge of, and embezzlement is therefore a hallmark of white-collar crime—that is, crime committed by so-called “white-collar” workers. In the 15th century, around the time that embezzlement entered English (the ultimate root is Anglo-French besiller “to steal, plunder”), it would have also been possible to say that such plunderers “bezzled” company cash, but bezzle is now considered obsolete.
Examples of embezzle in a Sentence
TIME, 14 May 2024
Tupac's sister, in a lawsuit filed in 2022, accused Whalley of embezzling money and requested an official audit of the estate.
—Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 14 May 2024
Several months ago, Dixon, who was forced to resign in 2010 after she was convicted of embezzling gift cards meant for people in need, appeared to be ahead in the race.
—Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 13 May 2024
Demonstrators were taking to the streets to demand the resignation of Moïse and accountability on nearly $2 billion in post-quake aid that government auditors said had been embezzled.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 8 May 2024
The woman embezzled the federal benefits by using a debit card, making cash withdrawals and forging checks, prosecutors said.
—Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 3 May 2024
Gordon embezzled $232,078 by transferring HOA funds to herself, by forging board members’ signatures, by depositing her neighbors’ member fee checks into her accounts and by withdrawing cash from the HOA accounts, court filings submitted by prosecutors show.
—Julia Marnin, Sacramento Bee, 9 Apr. 2024
Of course, the scammers had simply embezzled the money.
—Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Jorge Armando Contreras, 53, of Yorba Linda, pleaded guilty to embezzling from the district — which serves students in Anaheim and Stanton —from August 2016 through July of last year.
—City News Service, Orange County Register, 28 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'embezzle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Embezzle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/embezzle. Accessed 23 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
embezzle
verb
Legal Definition
embezzle
transitive verb
Anglo-French embeseiller to make away with, from en-, prefix stressing completion + beseller to snatch, misappropriate, from Old French, to destroy
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