From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishappropriateap‧pro‧pri‧ate1 /əˈprəʊpri-ət $ əˈproʊ-/ ●●● S2 W1 AWL adjective RIGHT/PROPERcorrect or suitable for a particular time, situation, or purpose OPP inappropriateappropriate for clothes appropriate for a job interviewappropriate to an education system which is more appropriate to the needs of the studentsit is appropriate (for somebody) to do something It would not be appropriate for me to discuss that now.it is appropriate (that) It seemed somehow appropriate that we should begin our journey here.appropriate time/place etc I didn’t feel that this was an appropriate time to mention the subject of money.highly/entirely/wholly appropriate I thought his remark was highly appropriate, given the circumstances. The timing of the announcement was particularly appropriate. Where appropriate, I delegate as much work as possible. Mark box 1 or 2, as appropriate. I can assure you that appropriate action will be taken.► see thesaurus at suitable —appropriateness noun [uncountable]
Examples from the Corpus
appropriate• Considering what he did, I think the punishment was appropriate.• You spot what season of the year is appropriate.• The Kruskal-Wallis test and the Mann-Whitney U test were used to compare groups as appropriate.• Then you are criticised for not winning in a style they regard as appropriate.• All seven transactions are numbered and posted to the appropriate accounts.• We will take appropriate action once the investigation is over.• The use of sound was imaginative and appropriate, and caught the audience's attention.• The main aim of several sets of video materials is to present examples of language in use in an appropriate context.• Each member is given a special exercise routine that is appropriate for his or her needs• You will be given your orders at the appropriate time.appropriate action• Each division of the school receives its own results, which allow it to pinpoint problems and take appropriate action.• She can avoid punishment by appropriate actions.• Teachers who for years had planned in terms of appropriate actions could not overnight apply their minds to appropriate meanings as well.• He also has the responsibility of deciding the appropriate action for changes where rejection would be contentious.• The appropriate action has to be researched.• The Head of Department in consultation with the Dean is responsible for recommending appropriate action in cases of suspected cheating or plagiarism by students.• The change in signal frequency is identified by the software and appropriate action taken.• It is also distributed for appropriate action to subject committees.appropriateap‧pro‧pri‧ate2 /əˈprəʊprieɪt $ əˈproʊ-/ verb [transitive] formal 1 STEALto take something for yourself when you do not have the right to do this SYN steal He is suspected of appropriating government funds.2 BFPGUSE somethingto take something, especially money, to use for a particular purposeappropriate something for something Congress appropriated $5 million for International Women’s Year. → misappropriate→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
appropriate• Yet the means of production are privately owned, and the profits are appropriated by individuals.• Carlin is suspected of appropriating company funds.• An awareness of old history encourages caution when it is appropriated for a contemporary cause.• Eventually their designs were appropriated for industrial production, which could be sold at cheaper prices.• Other reactionary politicians vie to appropriate historical symbols of pre-communist antiquity.• Since then, spending has slowly increased each year, but the Legislature has always appropriated more than Weld has requested.appropriate something for something• Congress appropriated $11.7 billion for anti-drug campaigns.From Longman Business Dictionaryappropriateap‧pro‧pri‧ate /əˈprəʊpri-eɪtəˈproʊ-/ verb [transitive]1LAWto take something for yourself when you have no right to do thisThe generals appropriated defence funds, leaving their men unpaid for months.2ECONOMICS to take something, especially money, officially for a particular purposeCongress has appropriated funds for the railroad for the next two years.→ See Verb tableOrigin appropriate2 (1400-1500) Late Latin past participle of appropriare, from Latin ad- “to” + proprius “own” 