as in to seize
to take or make use of under a guise of authority but without actual right
the mayor usurped the school board's authority when he fired the principal
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of usurp
One of the things that's gone really wrong in America is this gas station/convenience store/fast food restaurant that is usurping small town America.
—
Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2026
Vodka had overtaken gin in popularity by 1967, but by 2000 had fully usurped it, like Claudius to King Hamlet—occupied its position, married its wife, and taken control of its lands.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 21 Mar. 2026
By January 2025, Szczesny had become manager Hansi Flick’s No 1 choice in goal, putting together a string of solid performances and usurping Inaki Pena in the role.
—Pol Ballús, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2026
In other words, the apparatus that became the modern movie camera, up until digital technology usurped the role that film cameras played in capturing the first 100 years of filmmaking.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for usurp
Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2026
Vodka had overtaken gin in popularity by 1967, but by 2000 had fully usurped it, like Claudius to King Hamlet—occupied its position, married its wife, and taken control of its lands.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 21 Mar. 2026
By January 2025, Szczesny had become manager Hansi Flick’s No 1 choice in goal, putting together a string of solid performances and usurping Inaki Pena in the role.
—Pol Ballús, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2026
In other words, the apparatus that became the modern movie camera, up until digital technology usurped the role that film cameras played in capturing the first 100 years of filmmaking.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for usurp
Recent Examples of Synonyms for usurp
Verb
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That collapse is spurred not just by Napoleon, but also outside pressure from the human-run Pilkington Corporation, intent on reclaiming the freedom that these precious cartoon animals just seized.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
30 Apr. 2026
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Israel and Egypt have imposed varying degrees of a blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The war ends, and marauding Russians confiscate the family estate.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
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Israeli police have for years confiscated Palestinian flags from Palestinians, accusing them of disturbing the peace.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Along with Lee, second baseman Luis Arraez collected three hits and stole his team-leading fourth base of the season.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2026
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The senior right-hander gave up a two-out single in the fifth but that runner was thrown out trying to steal second.—
Lou Ponsi,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Rivera’s defense team contended that the gun went off inadvertently in a struggle after Rosen reached into the car and grabbed Rivera.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
27 Apr. 2026
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Walsh locked down Maxey out of a Sixers timeout to force a turnover, and the Celtics grabbed four offensive rebounds on one first-quarter possession, with Walsh and Scheierman accounting for three of them.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This exercise is intended to not only show where the Rangers have players in place for 2026-27, and which spots those players are likely to occupy, but also to highlight the most glaring holes.—
Vincent Z. Mercogliano,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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Ganni has historically occupied a clearly accessible contemporary positioning, but its elevation strategy has nudged it upward without fully redefining what the brand stands for.—
Maliha Shoaib,
Vogue,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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McDaniels delivered 20 points, converting 9 of 13 shots, and added 10 rebounds.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
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Bromfield had nearly finished converting the 25,000-square-foot brick building to apartments when the pandemic derailed his work.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Usurp.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/usurp. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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