to siphon off
5
7.9
- phrasal verb
- /ˈsaɪfən ɔf/
:
malversar
- Investigators believe that the CEO used fake invoices to siphon off millions from the company's budget.
- siphon off money
Military commanders were were siphoning off government money like they were a mess prior to the invasion.
- Military commanders were were siphoning off government money like they were a mess prior to the invasion.
- There was one that was completely staged by ADEEA agents, the one who was siphoning bitcoins off the sites.
Examples
-
The corrupt official was caught trying to siphon off funds intended for community development projects.
-
While I was there, they were even siphoning off staff from my team to work on it.
Blog text (29) -
Everything you mention was built by private enterprise, using money siphoned off from private enterprise.
Blog text (26) -
The old-school politicians at least kept the machine running while they siphoned off their share.
Fiction book (1999) -
Civic services have broken down, developmental projects have ceased, public funding has been siphoned off, and local industries have collapsed.
Academic text (2009) -
The World Bank has recently acknowledged that funds for development projects may be siphoned off by government and has made future assistance partly contingent on the would-be recipient's level of military spending.
Academic text (1992) -
Banking authorities view bribery as especially pernicious for impoverished nations because it both siphons off money and deters legitimate investment needed to raise living standards.
Academic text (2007) -
What they fail to mention is that the U.S. government propped up corrupt dictatorial regimes, one after the other, that pilfered and siphoned off much foreign aid into their own coffers.
Academic text (2009) -
Reports indicate that a portion of the donations was siphoned off by unscrupulous individuals before reaching the charity.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Take something that does not belong to you without permission
56
6.8
To take money meant for something and put it somewhere else, often secretly
28
8.1
To steal money or things that you were trusted with and use them yourself illegally
8
7.5
To take advantage of someone by always using their help or money without giving anything back
7
6.6
To take someone else's ideas or work and use them as your own without permission
4
9.6
To steal something secretly or dishonestly
4
7.9
To take money, food, or help from someone without giving anything back
1
9.1
Take money secretly from payments, often in an illegal way
Antonyms
How Much
Surface Forms
Morphology
The verb 'siphon' (to draw off) combined with 'off' (to remove) allows a learner who knows both words to infer that something is being drawn away or removed — so the core idea of diverting funds is compositional. However, the idiomatic implication of secretive or dishonest appropriation is a metaphorical extension and not fully predictable from the parts, so the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Siphon off paints the picture of someone secretly using a small tube to take fuel or water out of a tank, so the liquid disappears without notice. That's why it means 'to secretly take' money or resources for personal use.