Definition

1. Verb:
   • To misappropriate or embezzle funds or property that have been entrusted to one's care, typically in a position of trust or responsibility.

Usage

• The verb "defalcate" is a formal term, primarily used in legal, financial, and official contexts to describe the fraudulent appropriation of entrusted assets. It is an intransitive verb, often followed by a prepositional phrase (e.g., "defalcate from the funds").

Examples

• Verb:
  • The treasurer was found to have defalcated from the club's treasury over several years.
  • An investigation revealed that the trustee had defalcated a significant portion of the estate's assets.

Advanced Usage

• "to defalcate funds": to embezzle a specific sum of money.
  • The manager was accused of defalcating company funds for personal investments.
• "defalcating from a trust": specifically embezzling from a legally entrusted account or entity.
  • The lawyer was disbarred for defalcating from a client's trust account.

Variants and Related Words

• Defalcation (n): The act or an instance of defalcating; embezzlement.
  • The audit uncovered a massive defalcation.
• Defalcator (n): A person who defalcates; an embezzler.
  • The defalcator fled the country before the trial.

Synonyms

• Embezzle: To steal or misappropriate (money placed in one's trust or belonging to the organization for which one works).
• Misappropriate: To dishonestly or unfairly take (something, especially money, belonging to another) for one's own use.
• Peculate: To embezzle or steal (money, especially public funds).

Antonyms

• Reimburse: To repay (money spent).
• Safeguard: To protect from harm or damage.
• Account for: To give a satisfactory record of (something, typically money) that one is responsible for.

Related Phrases

• Fiduciary breach: A failure to fulfill the duties of a trustee or fiduciary, which can include defalcation.
  • His actions constituted a serious fiduciary breach, including the defalcation of assets.
• Financial malfeasance: Wrongdoing or illegal conduct by a public official or corporate officer, often involving defalcation.
  • The scandal was rooted in years of financial malfeasance and defalcation.

Verb

1. appropriate (as property entrusted to one's care) fraudulently to one's own use
   • The accountant embezzled thousands of dollars while working for the wealthy family