1. To take something for one's own use, often without rightful permission.
2. To set money or resources aside officially for a purpose.
3. Suitable for a particular purpose, person, or situation.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- appropriate funds
- appropriate an image
On the page
The manager appropriated the team's design without credit.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- appropriate
- Past tense
- appropriated
- Past participle
- appropriated
- Present participle
- appropriating
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- appropriate
- Present continuous
- am/is/are appropriating
- Present perfect
- have/has appropriated
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been appropriating
- Past
- appropriated
- Past continuous
- was/were appropriating
- Past perfect
- had appropriated
- Past perfect continuous
- had been appropriating
- Future
- will appropriate
- Future continuous
- will be appropriating
- Future perfect
- will have appropriated
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been appropriating
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: appropriate; appropriates; appropriated; appropriated; appropriating Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: analysis, explanation. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: appropriates.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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