Standard Lemma guide

embezzle

verb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ɪmˈbɛz.əl/
  • Canada, US: /ɪmˈbɛz.əl/
  • Canada, US: /ɛmˈbɛz.əl/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • /əmˈbɛz.əl/ weak vowel merger
  • Australian: /ɪmˈbez.əl/
  • Brisbane Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛzəl
  • CMU ARPABET: IH0 M B EH1 Z AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To steal or misappropriate money that one has been trusted with, especially to steal money from the organisation for which one works.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: business, law

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

appropriate (as property entrusted to one's care) fraudulently to one's own use

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The accountant embezzled thousands of dollars while working for the wealthy family

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: defalcate, peculate, misappropriate, malversate

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: steal

Narrower terms: fiddle

History

Etymology

From Middle English embesilen, from Anglo-Norman embesiler, embesillier, embeseillier (“to steal, cause to disappear”), from em- + Old French besillier (“to torment, destroy, gouge”), of unknown origin.

Across languages

Translations

48 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: përvetësoj — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Arabic: غَلَّ (ḡalla) — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Arabic: اِخْتَلَسَ (iḵtalasa) — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Azerbaijani: mənimsəmək — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Bulgarian: злоупотребявам (zloupotrebjavam) — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Catalan: malversar — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Chinese Mandarin: 挪用 (nuóyòng) — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Chinese Mandarin: 私吞 (sītūn) — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Czech: zpronevěřit — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Danish: begå underslæb — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Dutch: verduisteren — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Esperanto: malversacii — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Finnish: kavaltaa — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • French: détourner — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • French: divertir — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • German: unterschlagen — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • German: veruntreuen — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Greek: υπεξαιρώ (ypexairó) — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Hebrew: מעל (ma'ál) — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Hungarian: sikkaszt — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Hungarian: elsikkaszt — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Hungarian: hűtlenül kezel — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Irish: cúigleáil — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Italian: malversare — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Italian: commettere peculato — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Korean: 횡령하다 (hoengnyeong-hada) — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Latin: pecūlor — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Norman: cabochi des sous — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Norwegian: underslå — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Polish: sprzeniewierzyć — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Portuguese: desviar — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Russian: присва́ивать (prisváivatʹ) — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Russian: присво́ить (prisvóitʹ) — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Russian: расхища́ть (rasxiščátʹ) — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Russian: расхи́тить (rasxítitʹ) — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Serbo-Croatian: отуђити — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Serbo-Croatian: otuđiti — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Sicilian: ntascari — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Sicilian: ntascàrisi — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Spanish: malversar — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Spanish: desfalcar — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Spanish: defalcar — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Spanish: festinar — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Swedish: förskingra — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Thai: ยักยอก (yák-yɔ̂ɔk) — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Turkish: zimmetine geçirmek — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Ottoman Turkish: خرسزلامق (hırsızlamak) — to steal money that one has been trusted with
  • Welsh: embeslo — to steal money that one has been trusted with