verb
embezzle
em-BEZ-uhl/ɪmˈbezl/
To steal money or property entrusted to one's care.
The cashier embezzles store money by pocketing cash from the register.
Etymology
With the prefix, besillier “destroy, gouge” became a verb meaning “steal, cause to disappear,” later applied to fraudulent appropriation of money. The ancestry of besillier itself is unknown.
In context
Didn't one of your uh buddies who was on the payroll at the time like embezzle a bunch of money from you too?
More examples
- The treasurer embezzles money from the club's dues.
- She was caught embezzling funds from the accounts she managed.
- He embezzled company equipment and sold it for cash.
Forms
embezzle · embezzles · embezzled · embezzling
embezzlement noun — The theft of assets entrusted to someone's care.
embezzler noun — Someone who steals assets placed in that person's care.
Similar words
- steal
- Steal covers taking property, whether or not it was entrusted.
- misappropriate
- Misappropriate emphasizes unauthorized use, not necessarily theft for personal gain.