EMBEZZLE means to steal or fraudulently appropriate money or property entrusted to one's care, typically in a professional or fiduciary context.
Yes. EMBEZZLE is in the Scrabble-style word list used by our tools and scores 30 points in Scrabble, 33 in Words With Friends and 31 in Wordfeud (base tile values, no board multipliers). Always check the dictionary your game uses (NWL, Collins or the WWF list) before playing.
| Letter | E | M | B | E | Z | Z | L | E | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scrabble | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 30 |
| Words With Friends | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 33 |
| Wordfeud | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 31 |
To EMBEZZLE is to fraudulently appropriate funds or property that have been entrusted to one's care but belong to another. This white-collar crime involves a breach of fiduciary duty, distinguishing it from simple theft by the violator's legitimate access to the assets. Embezzlement requires three elements: a fiduciary relationship, ownership of assets by another party, and fraudulent appropriation. The crime often involves sophisticated schemes to hide the theft, from falsifying records to creating phantom vendors. Common embezzlement scenarios: Corporate: Executives diverting company funds Non-profit: Officers misusing charitable donations Government: Officials stealing public money Personal: Trustees abusing estate funds
The word embezzle has a colorful etymology from Anglo-French enbesiler meaning "to steal, make away with," first recorded around 1400. The origin is uncertain but possibly from: - Old French em- (in) + besillier (to torment, destroy) - Or from besil (fraud, trickery) The word initially meant "to make away with" or "to cause to disappear." The specific sense of "fraudulently appropriate entrusted property" emerged in the 1540s as commerce became more sophisticated. The double-Z spelling solidified in the 17th century, making it valuable for word games.
Anagrams: no other word uses exactly the letters of EMBEZZLE.
Hooks: no front hooks; back EMBEZZLED, EMBEZZLER, EMBEZZLES.
Words inside EMBEZZLE: 16 shorter words can be made from these letters – highest scoring: BEZELMEZELEZZEEMELEEBEEBELELMEMEMELBEEM. See all words from EMBEZZLE.