appoint

verb

ap·​point ə-ˈpȯint How to pronounce appoint (audio)
appointed; appointing; appoints

transitive verb

1
a
: to fix or set officially
appoint a trial date
b
: to name officially
will appoint her director of the program
c
archaic : arrange
d
law : to determine the disposition of (an estate) to someone by virtue of a power of appointment
2
: to provide with complete and usually appropriate or elegant furnishings or equipment
appointed the rooms with a curated selection of art and furniture …Chron.com
a beautifully appointed room

intransitive verb

: to exercise a power of appointment
Choose the Right Synonym for appoint

furnish, equip, outfit, appoint, accoutre mean to supply one with what is needed.

furnish implies the provision of any or all essentials for performing a function.

a sparsely furnished apartment

equip suggests the provision of something making for efficiency in action or use.

a fully equipped kitchen

outfit implies provision of a complete list or set of articles as for a journey, an expedition, or a special occupation.

outfitted the family for a ski trip

appoint implies provision of complete and usually elegant or elaborate equipment or furnishings.

a lavishly appointed apartment

accoutre suggests the supplying of personal dress or equipment for a special activity.

fully accoutred members of a polar expedition

Examples of appoint in a Sentence

She was appointed professor of chemistry at the university. After his parents died, the boy's uncle was appointed as his guardian. Every year, the group appoints three new members. a committee appointed by Congress the company's newly appointed assistant director
Recent Examples on the Web According to VentureBeat, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, who supervises NIST and the new AI safety agency, made the decision to appoint Christiano to the role. Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2024 Newsom signed a law last year to expand conservatorship to allow courts to appoint someone to make decisions for people struggling with severe substance use disorders. Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024 Generally, Pope Francis has been appointing people who are pastoral and are concerned about the poor, Reese said, rather than seeking out people who are theologically progressive. Sophie Carson, Journal Sentinel, 12 Mar. 2024 And one party, but not the other, appointed a vaccine-skeptical surgeon general in Florida who recently sidestepped standard public-health advice in the middle of an outbreak. Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2024 The advocates also asked U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers to appoint a special master to oversee changes at the prison while the lawsuit winds its way to trial — a move that, if approved, would be unprecedented at a U.S. federal prison. Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024 It was acquired by the New York Times in January 2022 and in November 2022, Tracy Bennett, who joined the Times as an associate puzzle editor in 2020, was appointed its editor. USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2024 On top of this Chameleon business, Po has to handle a nagging directive from his master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), who has instructed him to appoint a Dragon Warrior successor. Katie Walsh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2024 Trump appointed three of the justices who voted in favor of overturning Roe. Stefan Becket, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'appoint.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French appointer, from a- (from Latin ad-) + point point

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1c

Time Traveler
The first known use of appoint was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near appoint

Cite this Entry

“Appoint.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/appoint. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

appoint

verb
ap·​point ə-ˈpȯint How to pronounce appoint (audio)
1
: to decide on usually from a position of authority
the teacher appointed a time for our meeting
2
: to choose for some job or offices
I was appointed to wash the dishes
the school board appointed three new teachers
the president appoints a cabinet

Legal Definition

appoint

transitive verb
ap·​point ə-ˈpȯint How to pronounce appoint (audio)
1
: to name officially to a position
appointed to the agency's top post
appointed conservator of the estate
2
: to determine the distribution of (property) by exercising the authority granted by a power of appointment
a general power to appoint the corpus of a trustW. M. McGovern, Jr. et al.

intransitive verb

: to exercise a power of appointment see also power of appointment
appointive adjective
appointment noun

More from Merriam-Webster on appoint

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