he embezzled

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "he embezzled" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it when discussing someone who has illegally taken money or property entrusted to them. Example: "He embezzled funds from the company over several years." Alternative expressions include "he misappropriated" and "he siphoned off."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

"He embezzled funds on other projects, not this one.

Independent

Shin refutes the allegations that he embezzled money.

Nature

Dale was tried and acquitted of charges he embezzled money from the travel office.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Its founder is facing federal charges that he embezzled from a nonprofit company.

The New York Times

The Metropolitan police estimated he embezzled $250m£157m7m) of Nigerian public funds.

The Guardian - Opinion

Von Gröning saw Eddie as a kind of son, though he embezzled part of Eddie's pay.

The New York Times - Books

For example people believe that he embezzled much more than is being announced.

The Guardian

MEXICO CITY — A Guatemalan court has acquitted a former president, Alfonso Portillo, of charges that he embezzled state money.

The New York Times

See articleIsrael's finance minister, Avraham Hirchson, took voluntary leave pending a police inquiry into allegations that he embezzled union funds.

The Economist

Its president, Charles Hughes, was expelled by an internal judicial panel after finding he embezzled more than $1.7 million.

The New York Times

Mr. Chalabi's conviction in Jordan on charges that he embezzled $30 million from a Jordanian bank is well known.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Ensure the direct object (the money or the source) follows the verb for clarity, such as "he embezzled funds from the charity".

Common error

Avoid using "he embezzled" when you actually mean he processed illegally obtained money to make it look legitimate. Embezzlement is the initial act of stealing funds you already had access to, whereas money laundering is the subsequent act of hiding the source.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "he embezzled" functions as a subject and transitive verb clause. According to Ludwig, it is almost always followed by a direct object representing the amount of money or the entity from which the funds were taken. The verb is in the simple past tense, indicating a completed action.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

85%

Wiki

8%

Academia

5%

Less common in

Science

1%

Formal & Business

0.5%

Social Media

0.5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In conclusion, "he embezzled" is a highly effective and precise phrase for describing white-collar crime. Ludwig AI data demonstrates its heavy concentration in high-tier news publications and legal reporting, confirming its status as the standard terminology for financial breach of trust. It is grammatically sound and universally understood in professional English. Writers should favor it over more general terms like "stole" when the context involves an individual misusing funds they were responsible for managing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

he misappropriated

Uses a more formal, technical term for using money for the wrong purpose.

he diverted funds

Emphasizes the redirection of money from its intended target to himself.

he siphoned off

Adds a metaphorical sense of gradually and secretly taking funds over time.

he defrauded

Focuses on the element of deception used to obtain the money.

he pocketed

A more informal way to describe taking money for personal use.

he malversed

A very rare and archaic legal term specifically for public office corruption.

he skimmed

Specifies the act of taking small amounts off the top before they are recorded.

he stole

A simpler, broader verb that covers all forms of theft.

he pilfered

Often suggests stealing smaller amounts repeatedly rather than large sums.

he breached his fiduciary duty

Shifts the focus to the legal violation of trust rather than just the act of theft.

FAQs

How to use "he embezzled" in a sentence?

You can use it to describe financial crimes where trust was involved. For example: "The investigation revealed that "he embezzled millions" from the pension fund over a decade."

What can I say instead of "he embezzled"?

Depending on the tone, you could use "he misappropriated", "he siphoned off", or "he pocketed".

Is "he embezzled" correct?

Yes, it is a grammatically correct and standard English phrase. As seen in Ludwig AI examples from the New York Times and the Guardian, it is the standard way to report on this specific type of white-collar crime.

What is the difference between "he embezzled" and "he stole"?

While all embezzlement is theft, "he stole" is general. "He embezzled" implies the person had legal access to the money as part of their job or role but then took it for themselves.