as in to seize
to take or make use of under a guise of authority but without actual right
arrogated the corner office without obtaining prior approval
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Recent Examples of arrogate
Like Mao and Deng before him, Xi Jinping has arrogated to himself great power.
—
Joseph Torigian, Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2025
Politicians exist to spend, and Congress arrogated to itself what was left over after existing Social Security recipients were paid.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
Trump arrogated to himself the authority to impose sweeping tariffs on the entire world, a power that properly belongs to Congress, and has caused turmoil throughout the economy; many economic indicators are now pointing in the wrong direction.
—The Editors, National Review, 29 Apr. 2025
Disney arrogates those traits, skills, and experiences, essentially using modern female ideals to challenge traditional masculine ideals.
—Armond White, National Review, 4 Dec. 2024
Back before the federal government arrogated to itself an outsize role as financier of college education, the Wayne States of the world were where ambitious people who didn’t have a lot of money, who wanted to save money on college, or both, got their degrees.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 12 Oct. 2024
In every period, the essence of politics has been that a tin-pot tsar who wants to arrogate to himself the right to personal, unaccountable power needs to intimidate the honest people who are not afraid of him.
—Alexei Navalny, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2024
The Bibi Files uses a mix of talking-head history and in-the-room vérité to paint its picture of a leader who has arrogated power for corrupt and self-interested reasons — the allegations are of some $250,000 in gifts received in exchange for political favors — to his country’s detriment.
—Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Instead of deferring to the people’s representatives, as the Founders intended, today originalists on the Supreme Court have arrogated power to themselves.
—Saul Cornell / Made By History, TIME, 26 July 2024
Joseph Torigian, Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2025
Politicians exist to spend, and Congress arrogated to itself what was left over after existing Social Security recipients were paid.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
Trump arrogated to himself the authority to impose sweeping tariffs on the entire world, a power that properly belongs to Congress, and has caused turmoil throughout the economy; many economic indicators are now pointing in the wrong direction.
—The Editors, National Review, 29 Apr. 2025
Disney arrogates those traits, skills, and experiences, essentially using modern female ideals to challenge traditional masculine ideals.
—Armond White, National Review, 4 Dec. 2024
Back before the federal government arrogated to itself an outsize role as financier of college education, the Wayne States of the world were where ambitious people who didn’t have a lot of money, who wanted to save money on college, or both, got their degrees.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 12 Oct. 2024
In every period, the essence of politics has been that a tin-pot tsar who wants to arrogate to himself the right to personal, unaccountable power needs to intimidate the honest people who are not afraid of him.
—Alexei Navalny, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2024
The Bibi Files uses a mix of talking-head history and in-the-room vérité to paint its picture of a leader who has arrogated power for corrupt and self-interested reasons — the allegations are of some $250,000 in gifts received in exchange for political favors — to his country’s detriment.
—Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Instead of deferring to the people’s representatives, as the Founders intended, today originalists on the Supreme Court have arrogated power to themselves.
—Saul Cornell / Made By History, TIME, 26 July 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arrogate
Verb
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To offer a personal example, early in my career at a Hollywood studio, physical presence in a collaborative office was a valuable part of my learning — and gave me opportunities to seize unspoken opportunities.—
Melody Brue,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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Corporate executives in the technology sector, eager to curry favor, seized on the talking point.—
Jon Brodkin,
ArsTechnica,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Importantly, many organizations are beholden to either a single plan design, or designs that have long been usurped by new regime plans with substantially greater optics and efficiencies.—
Jim Hebets,
Forbes.com,
28 July 2025
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His wife, Meredith, son, Bennett, and his faith all usurp his day job.—
Max Rego,
CNN Money,
17 July 2025
Verb
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Desert Diamond Arena may confiscate items that could cause danger or disruption or are in breach of building policies.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
5 Aug. 2025
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Police confiscated his firearm, interviewed him, and—on the advice of the Harris County District Attorney's Office—released him without a charge.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 July 2025
Verb
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Four prisoners had to take turns using a bunk bed just to grab a few hours of sleep.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
18 Aug. 2025
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But Sunday, unfortunately for him, slipped away quickly as World No. 1 grabbed his fifth season title.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In the meantime, the Giants went with their Opening Day second baseman, Tyler Fitzgerald, while Christian Koss occupied third base on the second day of Matt Chapman’s absence with inflammation in his right hand.—
Evan Webeck,
Mercury News,
16 Aug. 2025
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Close followers of Moscow say Russia is not looking to end the war yet, however, given its advantageous position on the battlefield in Ukraine, where its forces occupy swathes of territory in the south and east.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Thinking about his experiences on The Bachelor and Perfect Match, Clayton claimed that the editing misrepresented his connection with Rachel.—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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The pair claims Kineto is capable of building bridges between creative people, small businesses and no-code platforms, contributing to the emergence of a creative developer economy where people will create their own personal web applications.—
Adrian Bridgwater,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arrogate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arrogate. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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