verb
- stealing or misusing money that has been entrusted to one’s care, especially in a position of responsibility
Usage: formal; legal
Examples
- The accountant was caught defalcating funds from the charity.
- She was accused of defalcating thousands of dollars from client accounts.
- The treasurer had been defalcating money for years before being discovered.
- Defalcating public funds is a serious federal crime.
- The bank manager was fired for defalcating customer deposits.
- He spent five years in prison for defalcating company funds.