embezzle
verb
Did you know?
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
Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2025
The wife had previously been convicted of embezzling from Mothers Against Drunk Driving, according to the lawsuit.
—Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 19 Mar. 2025
Griffith woman indicted for Social Security fraud A Griffith woman was indicted Thursday for embezzling nearly $129,000 in social security payments for herself and three children.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 22 Feb. 2025
This past May, the U.S. Attorney’s Office unsealed an indictment that said Chanell embezzled money from St. Andrew Presbyterian Church between 2013 and 2018.
—Ariane Lange, Sacramento Bee, 26 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for embezzle
Cite this Entry
“Embezzle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/embezzle. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.
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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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