improper
To appropriate; to assign as a possession or prerogativeTo appropriate; to assign (something, to someone) as a possession or prerogative.
» With improper use, he damaged the machine.
szaby78 · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
1 senses(obsolete)To appropriate; to assign (something, to someone) as a possession or prerogative.
For quotations using this term, see Citations:improper.
Examples
15 sentencesWith improper use, he damaged the machine.
Boldi was charged with improper child care.
Some people consider sex before marriage improper behavior.
It is improper to impose sanctions upon the union.
In different circles, that could be proper or improper.
Origin
From Middle English empropren, perhaps from an unattested Anglo-Norman variant enproprierFrom Middle English empropren, perhaps from an unattested Anglo-Norman variant enproprier of Anglo-Norman apropr(i)er, approprier, related to modern French approprier.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
impropers, impropering, impropered, impropered| Base form | improper · to improper |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | impropers |
| Present participle | impropering |
| Past simple | impropered |
| Past participle | impropered |
regular · Lesson
Lessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.