Definition of "misappropriate" [mis•ap•pro•pri•ate]

• To appropriate wrongly: misappropriating the theories of social science. (verb-transitive)
• To appropriate dishonestly for one's own use; embezzle. (verb-transitive)
• To use illegally. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Nowhere does the Act say that journalists may "misappropriate" trade secrets for personal or company gain."
• "He said it was never Karp's intention to "misappropriate" the graffiti."
• "The largest US news agency, Associated Press, says that it is backing its threat to act against illegal use of its content online through a new system to track how its news stories, pictures and videos are used by websites and enforce its terms of use. no longer stand by and watch websites "misappropriate" its stories, intends to create a news registry that will tag and track all its content online to ensure compliance with its terms of use."