misappropriation

Definition

The corporate euphemism for 'stealing,' typically involving someone with fiduciary responsibility who decided that 'other people's money' is really more of a suggestion than a rule. It's the white-collar crime of choice for accountants, executives, and nonprofit board members who convinced themselves they were just 'borrowing' the funds temporarily. Unlike shoplifting a candy bar, this usually involves spreadsheets, offshore accounts, and a lawyer explaining why technically it's 'misappropriation' not 'theft.'

Example Usage

The CFO was charged with misappropriation of funds after investigators discovered $2 million in 'consulting fees' paid to his wife's shell company.

Source: Legal and financial terminology

Related Terms

Advanced

operating leverage

The degree to which a company's costs are fixed versus variable, determining how profits change with sales volume. High operating leverage means each additional sale drops straight to the bottom line—until sales drop and you discover fixed costs are indeed fixed.

💰 Finance / Accounting

Beginner

working capital

Current assets minus current liabilities—the money available to fund daily operations without selling the furniture. Positive working capital means you can pay your bills; negative means start selling that furniture.

💰 Finance / Accounting

Advanced

backflush costing

A simplified cost accounting system that records costs only when production is complete, skipping the tedious tracking of work-in-process. It's for manufacturers who prefer speed over precision and assume everything flows smoothly.

💰 Finance / Accounting

Advanced

vegas

In finance, the Greek letter measuring how much an option's price will swing when market volatility does its thing—basically, it's sensitivity to how much everyone is collectively freaking out. The higher the vega, the more your option's value rides the uncertainty rollercoaster. Named after Las Vegas (sort of), because options trading is basically sanctioned gambling with more math.

💰 Finance / Accounting

Advanced

arbitrageur

A financial wizard who makes money by exploiting price differences across markets, basically the sophisticated cousin of the person who buys concert tickets cheap and sells them expensive. They're the reason your economics professor kept going on about market efficiency being impossible. Investment banks love them; everyone else thinks they're basically legalized scalpers in suits.

💰 Finance / Accounting

Intermediate

full faith and credit

A government's unconditional guarantee to honor debt obligations using its taxing power, theoretically the safest backing possible. 'We'll tax citizens into oblivion before we default' in more dignified language.

💰 Finance / Accounting

Translate This Term

See “misappropriation” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.

Try the Translator

Share This Term

Post on X Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn

Discover a Term

Beginner

nmhm

nothing much here, man...