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Earmark vs Embezzle - What's the difference?

earmark | embezzle |

As verbs the difference between earmark and embezzle

is that earmark is to mark (as of sheep) by slitting the ear while embezzle is (legal|business) to steal or misappropriate money that one has been trusted with, especially to steal money from the organisation for which one works.

As a noun earmark

is a mark or deformation of the ear of an animal, intended to indicate ownership.

earmark

Verb

(en verb)
  • To mark (as of sheep) by slitting the ear.
  • (by extension) To specify or set aside for a particular purpose.
  • You can donate to the organization as a whole, or you can earmark your contribution for a particular project.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A mark or deformation of the ear of an animal, intended to indicate ownership.
  • (US, politics) The designation of specific projects in appropriations of funding for general programs.
  • A mark for identification; a distinguishing mark.
  • * Wharton
  • Money is said to have no earmark .
  • * Burrow
  • A set of intellectual ideas have earmarks upon them, no tokens of a particular proprietor.

    Coordinate terms

    * (US politics) phonemark

    References

    * http://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?earmark

    See also

    * expenditure * porkbarrel

    embezzle

    English

    Verb

    (en-verb)
  • (legal, business) To steal or misappropriate money that one has been trusted with, especially to steal money from the organisation for which one works.
  • * 1903, , Twelve Stories and a Dream
  • You waste your education in burglary. You should do one of two things. Either you should forge or you should embezzle'. For my own part, I ' embezzle .
  • * 1861,
  • You let Dunsey have it, sir? And how long have you been so thick with Dunsey that you must collogue with him to embezzle my money?

    Synonyms

    * defalcate * misappropriate * peculate

    Derived terms

    * embezzler * embezzlement

    References