ENGLISH
REFERENCE

appropriate

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //əˈpɹoʊpɹiˌeɪt// ap·pro·pri·ate Academic Archaic General-service

v. to take something for your own use, often without permission. You might use this when talking about money, ideas, or even parts of another culture.

v. to take possession of something for one's own use, typically without the owner's permission. Often used in academic contexts regarding the adoption of cultural elements or the allocation of funds.


SIMPLE

The committee will appropriate funds for the new park next month.

CONTEXTUAL

The local government decided to appropriate the abandoned land to build a community center for the neighborhood.

COMPLEX

Critics argued that the fashion house began to appropriate traditional patterns from indigenous communities without offering any form of compensation or recognition of their cultural significance.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology 1

From Middle English appropriaten, from appropriat (“appropriated”) + -en, borrowed from Latin appropriātus, perfect passive participle of appropriō (“to make one's own”), from ad (“to”) + propriō (“to make one's own”), from proprius (“one's own, private”) + -ō (first conjugation verb-forming suffix).

Etymology 2

From Middle English appropriat (“appropriated”), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more.

Usage

The verb is transitive and requires a direct object. In legal and government contexts, it specifically refers to the formal allocation of money.

Pitfall

The government appropriated for the project.The government appropriated money for the project.Appropriate is a transitive verb; you must specify what is being taken or allocated.

© 2026 English Reference