mis ‧ ap ‧ pro ‧ pri ‧ ate /ˌmɪsəˈprəʊprieɪt $ -ˈproʊ-/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]
formal to dishonestly take something that someone has trusted you with, especially money or goods that belong to your employer SYN embezzle ⇨ appropriate :
He claimed the finance manager had misappropriated company funds.
—misappropriation /ˌmɪsəprəʊpriˈeɪʃ ə n $ -proʊ-/ noun [uncountable] :
the misappropriation of public funds