unseat

verb

un·​seat ˌən-ˈsēt 

unseated; unseating; unseats

transitive verb

1

: to dislodge from one's seat especially on horseback

2

: to remove from a place or position

especially : to remove from political office

Synonyms of unseat

• depose
• topple
• dethrone

Examples of unseat in a Sentence

He unseated an incumbent senator.

The horse bucked and unseated its rider.

Recent Examples on the Web

Magyar won a landslide election this spring, unseating the far-right nationalist Orbán after 16 years in power. — Leigh Anne Miller, ARTnews.com, 16 Sep. 2026

The Bills, in Lewis’ second year, unseated the Patriots to win the AFC East, then stacked four more division titles on top. — Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Buhari benefited from outrage over the Chibok girls’ abduction to become the first opposition candidate to unseat a president, and Tinubu succeeded Buhari in power. — Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 31 Aug. 2026

The 2026 midterms have brought a number of generational challenges like the one Moulton is waging against Markey, with younger Democrats taking on — and in some cases unseating — longtime incumbents. — ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for unseat

• amit
• athlete
• backseat
• blackfeet
• broadsheet
• browbeat
• buckwheat
• compete
• compleat
• complete
• conceit
• concrete

Kids Definition

unseat

verb

un·​seat ˌən-ˈsēt 

ˈən-

1

: to throw from one's seat especially on horseback

2

: to remove from a place or position

especially : to remove from political office